spend

To spend means to use time, money, or energy for something. You can spend money on groceries, spend an afternoon reading, or spend too much energy worrying about a problem. The idea is that you are using something that matters to you.

We often use this word for money and time. You might spend your holiday with family, spend ten dollars on lunch, or spend years learning a new skill. The phrase "well spent" means the time or money was used in a good way: "That was an afternoon well spent."

The word "spend" is used when someone uses money, time, energy, or effort for a purpose. If you spend money on a coat, that money is gone because you used it to buy something. If you spend three hours studying, those hours were used for that activity. In both cases, the word shows how something valuable is being used.

This word is very common with money and time. You can spend fifty dollars on dinner, spend the weekend at home, spend the evening talking with friends, or spend years building a business. It is also natural with energy and effort: someone can spend too much energy on anger, or spend a lot of effort trying to fix a mistake.

Sometimes the word helps show whether the use was good or bad. "Money well spent" means the purchase was worth it. "He spends too much time complaining" shows that the time is probably being wasted. In this way, "spend" often carries an idea of choice, value, and result.

In everyday English, "spend" is one of the main words we use to talk about how life, time, and money are used. It can describe simple daily actions, like spending cash at a store, and bigger parts of life, like spending your childhood in one town or spending years on a dream.