Spend vs. Expend

synonyms

'Spend' and 'expend' are synonyms but they have subtle difference in meaning which we are going to discuss in this lesson.

What is the difference between 'spend' and '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.