Standard Lemma guide

expend

verb · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /ɪkˈspɛnd/
  • /ɛkˈspɛnd/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -ɛnd
  • CMU ARPABET: IH0 K S P EH1 N D Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

verb

Meaning 1

To consume, exhaust (some resource).

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

verb

Meaning 2

use up, consume fully

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • The legislature expended its time on school questions

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: use

Antonyms: none provided

Narrower terms: pervert, misuse, abuse, spare, take, occupy, use up, waste, blow, squander

3

verb

Meaning 3

pay out

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • spend money

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: spend, drop

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: pay

Narrower terms: consume, eat up, use up, eat, deplete, exhaust, run through, wipe out, squander, waste, ware, afford, blow, wanton, wanton away, trifle away, underspend, misspend, penny-pinch, nickel-and-dime, invest, put, commit, place, save, economize, economise, lay out, piddle, piddle away, trifle

History

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin expendō (“to weigh; to pay out”). Doublet of spend.

Across languages

Translations

39 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: изразходвам (izrazhodvam) — to consume resources
  • Czech: vynaložit — to consume resources
  • Czech: vydat — to consume resources
  • Czech: spotřebovat — to consume resources
  • French: dépenser — to consume resources
  • Galician: despender — to consume resources
  • Galician: gastar — to consume resources
  • Galician: consumir — to consume resources
  • Ancient Greek: ἀναλίσκω (analískō) — to consume resources
  • Hungarian: felhasznál — to consume resources
  • Hungarian: elhasznál — to consume resources
  • Hungarian: felél — to consume resources
  • Hungarian: kimerít — to consume resources
  • Ido: spensar — to consume resources
  • Italian: spendere — to consume resources
  • Japanese: 消耗する (shōmō suru) — to consume resources
  • Māori: whakapau — to consume resources
  • Māori: whakatange — to consume resources
  • Māori: whakaporo — to consume resources
  • Māori: whakapeto — to consume resources
  • Swedish: förbruka — to consume resources
  • Swedish: lägga ner — to consume resources
  • Bulgarian: харча (harča) — to spend money
  • Czech: utratit — to spend money
  • Czech: spotřebovat — to spend money
  • Czech: vyčerpat — to spend money
  • Esperanto: elspezi — to spend money
  • French: dépenser — to spend money
  • Galician: despender — to spend money
  • Galician: gastar — to spend money
  • Hungarian: költ — to spend money
  • Hungarian: fordít — to spend money
  • Hungarian: ráfordít — to spend money
  • Hungarian: kiad — to spend money
  • Ido: spensar — to spend money
  • Italian: spendere — to spend money
  • Spanish: expender — to spend money
  • Spanish: despender — to spend money
  • Spanish: despesar — to spend money