SPENDING Synonyms: 98 Similar and Opposite Words

spending

verb

present participle of spend

as in paying

to hand over or use up in payment I always end up spending too much money at the mall

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in consuming

to make complete use of the town has already spent its budget for snow removal, and it's only January

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in wasting

to use up carelessly spent all his energy on impractical schemes

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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 spending At 28 years old, the sizeable outlay on the Brazilian midfielder continues Arsenal’s ploy of spending big money on players who can immediately improve their first team. — Chris Weatherspoon, New York Times, 12 Aug. 2026 But that also means that a large number of folks who don't have so many assets might be better off spending their dollars on risk management and insurance. — Jay Adkisson, Forbes.com, 11 Aug. 2026 Major cloud service providers like Google, Meta, Microsoft, and Amazon are engaged in a frenzied bid to keep up with the demand for AI services, and are spending hundreds of billions of dollars to compete. — Camila Grigera Naón, Fortune, 11 Aug. 2026 After spending time with Lavie, the victim reported missing a Rolex worth $8,600, Louis Vuitton sunglasses worth about $700 and a Louis Vuitton card holder worth nearly $2,000, Plata said. — Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 11 Aug. 2026 That won't change with more people spending more time to figure out a way to salvage it. — Sarah N. Lynch, CBS News, 11 Aug. 2026 Or spending a day bouncing in the waves on a Caribbean island or on Florida’s Gulf Coast. — Patricia Doherty, Travel + Leisure, 5 Aug. 2026 The National Gallery has been criticized after spending £250,000 on its NG Citizens program. — George Nelson, ARTnews.com, 4 Aug. 2026 Last year, small market teams benefited from spending by the richest franchises—nine teams paid $403 million in luxury tax penalties last season. — Kurt Badenhausen, Sportico.com, 4 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for spending

Verb

Marks said the poor, women and people of color are paying the cost of cash bail with more than money.

— Kaitlin McCallum, Hartford Courant, 14 Aug. 2026
While the good-paying white-collar jobs in the ‘burbs are getting slashed, the substantial workforce Capital One inherited from Discover in the city of Chicago largely has been spared.

— The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 14 Aug. 2026

Definition of paying

Verb

However, consuming large amounts—such as those used in studies where up to 1/2 cup was consumed daily—can start to weaken and damage tooth enamel.

— MD Published, Verywell Health, 10 Aug. 2026
Those symptoms can begin anywhere from six hours to six days after consuming the bacteria, the CDC says.

— Faris Tanyos, CBS News, 9 Aug. 2026

Definition of consuming

Verb

The process has been criticized for wasting workers’ time and raising their expectations but is not required under the law.

— Stuart Anderson, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026
Both of these smart systems allow homeowners to ensure their lawns or gardens are hydrated without wasting water.

— Nafeesah Allen, Better Homes & Gardens, 10 Aug. 2026

Definition of wasting

Verb

Meidroth greeted Julian Garcia with a drive to left field for his 12th homer, giving the White Sox a 3-0 lead.

— CBS News, CBS News, 13 Aug. 2026
The Valkyries have four days off between Wednesday’s game against the Sky and their Monday showdown with the Wings, giving Stokes time to recover from her concussion.

— Joseph Dycus, Mercury News, 13 Aug. 2026

Definition of giving

Verb

To deodorize and tackle slow-draining sinks, sprinkle a bit of baking soda down the drain before pouring a generous amount of apple cider vinegar.

— Nafeesah Allen, Better Homes & Gardens, 13 Aug. 2026
For best results, focus on giving your ficus well-draining soil and plenty of bright, partial light.

— Abby Monteil, The Spruce, 12 Aug. 2026

Definition of draining

Verb

The ruling involves 16 men's basketball players who sued the NCAA in Cobb County Superior Court in July after exhausting four seasons of college eligibility.

— Zachary Bynum, CBS News, 7 Aug. 2026
Countless veterans whom Perry had gotten to know had experienced similarly stark recoveries after exhausting conventional treatments for brain injuries and trauma, and turning to ibogaine.

— Michelle Lhooq, New Yorker, 7 Aug. 2026

Definition of exhausting

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spenders

spending

spending money

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“Spending.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spending. Accessed 16 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of spending

verb

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