spender

noun

Definition of spendernext
as in spendthrift
someone who spends money freely or foolishly he's a spender and she's a tightwad, so naturally they quarrel about money a lot

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of spender Tottenham Hotspur starting the transfer window as the Premier League’s most liberal and audacious spenders feels like a long time ago. — Elias Burke, New York Times, 13 Aug. 2026 According to the Capitol Morning Report, that makes StubHub the second-largest lobbying spender in the state for the quarter, behind only Pacific Gas & Electric and ahead of the likes of Chevron, Verizon, AT&T and OpenAI, among others. — Ethan Millman, HollywoodReporter, 12 Aug. 2026 Walter has stewarded the Dodgers into the most successful stretch in franchise history, with three World Series championships in the last six seasons as the most aggressive spenders in baseball. — Greg Beacham, Chicago Tribune, 12 Aug. 2026 Philadelphia, reliably one of baseball's highest big market spenders, lost Wednesday afternoon to fall out of playoff position, if the season ended today. — Ian Miller Outkick, FOXNews.com, 12 Aug. 2026 With regulations to ban teens from social media underway, Myspace will have to pursue a strategy that is inclusive of older users, who are also the primary spenders. — Sawdah Bhaimiya, CNBC, 9 Aug. 2026 Over two years, these top spenders expanded their overall staff by 10% and boosted entry-level hiring by 12%, defying other reports that college graduates face a barren job market. — Sebastian Herrera, Fortune, 8 Aug. 2026 Among the bottom half of spenders in MLB this season, four are currently in line for one of baseball’s 12 playoff spots, with another six on the bubble. — Justin Birnbaum, Sportico.com, 29 July 2026 The biggest change has been the kingdom’s increase in military funding, becoming the fifth-biggest defense spender in 2025, and the third-largest arms importer. — Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 29 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spender
  1. spendthrift
  2. waster
  3. wastrel
  4. prodigal
Noun
  • To be a valid spendthrift trust in Illinois, three factors must be met.
    — Jay Adkisson, Forbes.com, 6 Apr. 2026
  • The split screen of Bezos and his spendthrift wife, Lauren Sánchez, frolicking everywhere — including Paris Fashion Week — while the tech mogul defiles the crown jewel nurtured by Ben Bradlee and Kay Graham is sickening.
    — Maureen Dowd, Mercury News, 3 Feb. 2026
Definition of spendthrift
Noun
  • The form asks for the date and time of the watering, along with the waster’s address.
    — Elliott Wenzler, Denver Post, 29 May 2026
  • The state Department of Environmental Protection is responding and will assist in the safe disposal of waster materials generated during the cleanup Morrisey said.
    — Tim Stelloh, NBC news, 22 Apr. 2026
Definition of waster
Noun
  • Only his father’s respectability, and perhaps his odd Motown accent, spared him from getting cussed out by bridesmaids at society weddings as a wastrel and drunkard, a shameless woman-wrapper.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 6 Aug. 2026
  • Foster died destitute in 1864, after falling and injuring himself in the bathroom of a hotel on the Bowery, becoming perhaps the first of many famous wastrels in American popular music.
    — David A. Graham, The Atlantic, 2 July 2026
Definition of wastrel
Noun
  • Twenty-six James Bond films (the 25 Eon joints, plus the prodigal Never Say Never Again) are coming to Netflix this month.
    — Bethy Squires, Vulture, 2 Jan. 2026
  • Secrets are revealed, prodigals return, intolerances surface and family bonds are tested.
    — Greg Evans, Deadline, 17 Apr. 2025
Definition of prodigal

Browse Nearby Words

spend
spender
spenders
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Spender.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spender. Accessed 18 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of oxymoron

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

Is “GIF” Pronounced “Jiff” or “Giff”?

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
image of a green cube out of place in a lineup of red spheres
Odd Word Out: Synonyms Vol. 2 Quiz Figure out which word isn't like the others.
See All