Standard Lemma guide

forspend

verb · 1 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

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  • /fɔː(ɹ)ˈspɛnd/
  • rhymes with -ɛnd

1

verb

Meaning 1

To spend up; spend completely; exhaust, as by overexertion.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

Examples

  • a. 1843, Robert Southey, (Inscription) at Borrosa A painful march, / Through twenty hours of night and day prolong'd, / Forespent the British troops.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From Middle English forspenden, from Old English forspendan (“to spend up, give out, squander, consume”), equivalent to for- + spend.