expend

Expend is a transitive verb meaning to use up or consume resources, time, energy, or effort. It is commonly used with nouns such as money, supplies, energy, or time, as in “They expended a large sum on research” or “We expended all our energy preparing for the exam.” The term often carries a formal or technical tone and can imply a deliberate or substantial use of finite resources.

Etymology and history: Expend derives from Latin ex- meaning out, and pendere meaning to weigh or pay. It entered English in the Middle Ages via Old French and developed the sense of paying out or using up resources. The related noun is expenditure, and the related adjective is expendable.

Usage and grammar: Expend is typically used transitively with a direct object representing what is being used up, and with a prepositional phrase such as on or in indicating the thing on which the resources are spent. For example, “The department expended funds on new equipment” or “She expended years of research on the project.” The passive form, “funds were expended,” is common in formal writing. Expend is often contrasted with spend, where expend emphasizes the depletion of resources themselves rather than simply time or money in a general sense.

Related terms: Expenditure is the noun form referring to the act or amount spent. Expendable describes items that can be used up or discarded. Common collocations include “expend resources on,” “expend time in,” and “expend effort.” Synonyms include spend, use up, deplete, or consume, with expend bearing a more formal or technical nuance.