spend
verb · noun
Simple meaning
Use up a period of time in a specific way.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
spehndIPA pronunciation (US)
ˈspɛnd
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
verb
Use up a period of time in a specific way
“How are you spending your summer vacation?”
ambitransitive
To pay out (money).
To consume, to use up (time).
To bestow; to employ; often with on or upon.
To exhaust, to wear out.
intransitive
To waste or wear away; to be consumed.
noun
Amount of money spent (during a period); expenditure.
in the plural
Expenditures; money or pocket money.
Vaginal discharge.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- A2 · Elementary
- Frequency
- Common
- Typical Use
- Everyday English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: Use up a period of time in a specific way
Used this way, spend is a common word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
“How are you spending your summer vacation?”
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Common
- Connotation
- No strong connotation
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use spend
- “How are you spending your summer vacation?”verb
- “I spend my pocket money in two days.”verb
Share your sentence
Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Inflected forms
Grammatical variations of the same word.
The act of spending or disbursing money.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
Cash for day-to-day spending on incidental expenses.
A brief period of extravagant spending.
Eliminate urine.
Someone who spends money prodigally.
The act of reducing spending.
Spending money raised by borrowing.
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
Synonyms
Sense: amount of money spent (during a period)
Use This Word
See how this word sounds in a real sentence.
Ask Vocabaura
Understand the word your way.
What Does It Mean Here?
Words can change meaning depending on context.
Use it yourself
Knowing “spend” starts when you use it. Pick a next step, all free.
Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.