spend

spend — verb

1. to give money in exchange for goods, services, or an experience, whether by buyi

1.verbtransitive / intransitiveA2
Definition

to give money in exchange for goods, services, or an experience, whether by buying, paying fees, or covering costs

Example

Jin spent most of his savings on a new laptop for his graphic design work.

spend [money] on [thing]

The Watanabes spent a lot of money renovating their old family home last year.

spend [money] doing [activity]

Common collocations
  • spend money on
  • spend a lot
  • spend cash
  • spend wisely
  • spend freely
  • spend millions
Synonyms
  • pay

    more general — focuses on the transaction, not on what is given up

  • splash out (informal)

    implies spending a large amount freely, often on a treat

  • invest

    suggests spending with the expectation of future benefit, not consumption

Antonyms
  • save

    to keep money for future use rather than spending it now

  • hoard

    to collect and store money, often excessively

Grammar Patterns

spend + [amount of money] + on + [thing or activity]

spend + [amount of money]

Usage Note

When the thing bought is a noun, use the preposition 'on' before it. When the thing bought is an activity, use the gerund (-ing form) directly after the amount.

Common Mistakes

I spent for a new phone.
I spent money on a new phone.
Use 'on' after 'spend', not 'for'.
She spent a lot of money for the tickets.
She spent a lot of money on the tickets.
The correct preposition after 'spend money' is 'on'.

2. to let a period of time pass while doing a specific activity, staying somewhere,

2.verbtransitiveA2
Definition

to let a period of time pass while doing a specific activity, staying somewhere, or being with someone

Example

Mia spends at least an hour every evening practising the piano in her room.

spend [time] doing [activity]

Ilan and his grandmother spent the whole weekend baking cookies for the neighbourhood party.

Common collocations
  • spend time with
  • spend hours
  • spend the day
  • spend a year
  • spend time on
  • spend the weekend
Synonyms
  • pass

    suggests time going by, often with less focus on purposeful activity

  • occupy

    more formal, implies filling time with something specific

  • devote

    stronger emotional commitment — suggests giving time to something important

Antonyms
  • waste

    to use time without achieving anything useful

Grammar Patterns

spend + [amount of time] + on + [noun]

spend + [amount of time] + doing + [activity]

spend + [amount of time] + with + [person]

Usage Note

Frequently used with a gerund (-ing) to describe the activity. The pattern 'spend time on + noun' is used when the focus is the project or task itself, not the action inside it.

Common Mistakes

I spent three hours to finish the report.
I spent three hours finishing the report.
Use the -ing form, not the infinitive, after 'spend time'.
She spent many time on social media.
She spent a lot of time on social media.
'Time' is uncountable; use 'much' or 'a lot of', not 'many'.

3. to use up physical or mental energy, effort, or strength completely while doing

3.verbtransitiveB2
Definition

to use up physical or mental energy, effort, or strength completely while doing a demanding activity

Example

The firefighters spent every ounce of their strength pulling survivors from the wreckage.

spend + [resource] completely

Nadia spent most of her energy on the first few laps and fell behind at the end.

Common collocations
  • spend energy
  • spend effort
  • spend strength
  • spend patience
  • spend resources
Synonyms
  • use up

    more general, less formal — can apply to any consumable resource

  • exhaust

    suggests complete depletion, often with a negative connotation

  • expend

    more formal, often used in technical or business contexts

Antonyms
  • conserve

    to use a resource carefully so it lasts longer

  • save

    to keep a resource for later use

Grammar Patterns

spend + [physical/mental resource]

spend + [resource] + on/doing + [activity]

Usage Note

Often used with abstract resources such as 'energy', 'effort', 'strength', 'patience', or 'emotion'. The object is typically something that can be used up or drained. This sense is less common than the MONEY and TIME senses.

Common Mistakes

I spent tired after the race.
I spent all my energy during the race and felt tired afterwards.
Objects of 'spend' must be resources, not feelings.
Idioms

spend the night with somebody

idiom

To stay at someone's home or location for one night.

Mia will spend the night with her grandmother this Friday.

Did you spend the night with your cousin after the party?

spend a penny

idiom

A polite way to say you need to use the toilet.

Excuse me, I need to spend a penny before we leave.

The child asked his mother if he could spend a penny.

spend — noun

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

All four words involve money changing hands, but they highlight different parts of the situation. 'Spend' focuses on the person giving up money rather than on what is received — you can spend money on anything without necessarily owning it afterwards (e.g. a hotel stay or a meal). 'Pay' centres on the act of settling a debt or bill; you pay for something specific, often a fixed amount. 'Buy' emphasises acquiring ownership of an object in exchange for money; you buy a car, but you do not buy a concert ticket the same way — you pay for it or spend money on it. 'Invest' suggests spending money with the expectation of future gain, either financial (buying shares) or personal (investing in education). Example: 'Quinn spent two hundred dollars on concert tickets' (focus on the outflow) vs. 'Quinn bought two concert tickets' (focus on what was obtained) vs. 'Quinn paid two hundred dollars for the tickets' (focus on settling the price) vs. 'Quinn invested in music lessons' (focus on long-term benefit).

spend ↗pay ↗buy ↗invest ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • spend more than one can afford
  • spend a small fortune
  • spend money like water

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinOld EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

The word 'spend' entered Middle English around the 12th century from Old English 'spendan', which came from Latin 'expendere' — a combination of 'ex-' (out) and 'pendere' (to weigh, to pay). In ancient Rome, payments were often made by weighing out metal coins, so 'weighing out' became a metaphor for 'paying out' money. Over time the meaning expanded from monetary payment to the use of any resource — first time, then energy and effort.