noun

spending

SPEN-ding

Spending (noun) means the amount of money paid out by a person, business or government, considered as an activity or total. Example: “Household spending fell for the third month running.”

noun

The amount of money paid out by a person, business or government, considered as an activity or total.

"Household spending fell for the third month running."

"The party has promised no increase in public spending."

verb

Present participle of spend: paying out money, or passing time in a particular way or place.

"We're spending far too much on takeaways."

"She is spending the summer in Lisbon."

How to Use Spending

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishMoney going out.

When to use it

Spending is the everyday word; expenditure is the formal accounting term. Both are uncountable in this sense.

Memory tip

In business English spend is now also used as a noun ("our marketing spend"), but spending remains the safer general choice.

Trace the full origin ↓

Easily confused with

expenditure → expenses spend →

Common pairings

consumer spending public spending spending power cut spending

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Fill the Gap

Can you complete this real example?

Household _____ fell for the third month running.

Etymology

From Old English spendan, borrowed from Latin expendere meaning to pay out or weigh out.

Origin: Latin

Synonyms

View more →

expenditure outlay outgoings

Antonyms

saving income revenue

Related Words

income economy investment revenue saving delivery rescue wage

Rhymes for spending

ending sending bending lending pending mending unending blending trending defending ascending attending

See all rhymes for spending →

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between spending and expenditure?

They mean the same thing. Spending is plain and general; expenditure is formal and appears in budgets, accounts and official statistics. Expenses, by contrast, means individual costs incurred, especially ones an employer reimburses.

Is spend correct as a noun?

It is established in marketing and finance, as in "total ad spend", and dictionaries record it. Outside those fields it can sound like jargon, so spending is the safer choice in general writing.

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