Spend vs. Expend
'Spend' and 'expend' are both verbs that relate to the use of resources, particularly money, time, or energy. Their main difference is that 'expend' implies that a lot of resources were spend on a particular item or task, while 'spend' has a more general and neutral meaning. This lesson will discuss these differences in more detail.
Talking about Money
When talking about money, 'spend' is a more neutral term that refers to paying a specific sum of money in exchange for goods or services and can refer to both personal and organizational expenditures, while 'expend' implies that a lot of money was used for a particular purpose and is more commonly used in a business or institutional context.
I spent $50 on groceries.
The company expended significant funds on research and development.
Talking about Time
When talking about time, 'spend' can be used to talk about passing time or using time on a particular task. 'Expend', however, suggests that a lot of time was spent on a particular task. For example:
I spent the whole weekend at a beach resort.
We expended too much time on this project to give up now.
Comments
(0)
Recommended
