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GRE vocabulary

expend

verbHigh-frequency wordMore E words

to use up or spend a resource such as money, energy, or time

Word origin: From Latin expendere, to weigh out or pay.

In a sentence

Expend in a sentence

Here are example sentences showing expend in a sentence.

She expended enormous energy trying to meet the impossible deadline.

The startup expended most of its early capital on research that would not pay off for years.

Synonyms
spendconsumedepleteexhaust
Antonyms
saveconserveaccumulate
Usage & nuance

Using “expend” well

Expend means to use up a resource, whether money, energy, or effort, often implying a deliberate and sometimes considerable outlay. It is more formal than spend.

Common questions

Questions about “expend

Expend (verb) means to use up or spend a resource such as money, energy, or time
Here is expend used in an example sentence: "She expended enormous energy trying to meet the impossible deadline." Another example: "The startup expended most of its early capital on research that would not pay off for years."
Common synonyms for expend include spend, consume, deplete, exhaust.
Antonyms of expend include save, conserve, accumulate.
Clusters with spend, consume, deplete, and exhaust in Sentence Equivalence. Its antonyms save, conserve, and accumulate mark the contrast.
Yes. Expend is a high-frequency GRE word, so it is worth prioritising as you build your vocabulary.

Learn words the way the GRE tests them.

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