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
1
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
1
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 notesIn 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
Common pairings
consumer spending
public spending
spending power
cut spending
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Household _____ fell for the third month running.
Etymology
From Old English spendan, borrowed from Latin expendere meaning to pay out or weigh out.
Synonyms
View more →Antonyms
Related words
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.
What is the meaning of spending?
"spending" (noun) means the amount of money paid out by a person, business or government, considered as an activity or total.
What is another word for spending?
Other words for "spending" include expenditure, outlay, outgoings, outgo, disbursal, disbursement.
