spend

1.動詞及物 / 不及物A2

釋義

to give money in exchange for goods, services, or an experience, whether by buying, paying fees, or covering costs

例句

Jin spent most of his savings on a new laptop for his graphic design work.

spend [money] on [thing]

The Watanabes spent a lot of money renovating their old family home last year.

spend [money] doing [activity]

同義詞

pay
more general — focuses on the transaction, not on what is given up
splash out (informal)
implies spending a large amount freely, often on a treat
invest
suggests spending with the expectation of future benefit, not consumption

反義詞

save
to keep money for future use rather than spending it now
hoard
to collect and store money, often excessively

文法句型

spend + [amount of money] + on + [thing or activity]

spend + [amount of money]

用法筆記

When the thing bought is a noun, use the preposition 'on' before it. When the thing bought is an activity, use the gerund (-ing form) directly after the amount.

常見錯誤

❌I spent for a new phone.

✅I spent money on a new phone.

💡Use 'on' after 'spend', not 'for'.

❌She spent a lot of money for the tickets.

✅She spent a lot of money on the tickets.

💡The correct preposition after 'spend money' is 'on'.

2.動詞及物A2

釋義

to let a period of time pass while doing a specific activity, staying somewhere, or being with someone

例句

Mia spends at least an hour every evening practising the piano in her room.

spend [time] doing [activity]

Ilan and his grandmother spent the whole weekend baking cookies for the neighbourhood party.

同義詞

pass
suggests time going by, often with less focus on purposeful activity
occupy
more formal, implies filling time with something specific
devote
stronger emotional commitment — suggests giving time to something important

反義詞

waste
to use time without achieving anything useful

文法句型

spend + [amount of time] + on + [noun]

spend + [amount of time] + doing + [activity]

spend + [amount of time] + with + [person]

用法筆記

Frequently used with a gerund (-ing) to describe the activity. The pattern 'spend time on + noun' is used when the focus is the project or task itself, not the action inside it.

常見錯誤

❌I spent three hours to finish the report.

✅I spent three hours finishing the report.

💡Use the -ing form, not the infinitive, after 'spend time'.

❌She spent many time on social media.

✅She spent a lot of time on social media.

💡'Time' is uncountable; use 'much' or 'a lot of', not 'many'.

3.動詞及物B2

釋義

to use up physical or mental energy, effort, or strength completely while doing a demanding activity

例句

The firefighters spent every ounce of their strength pulling survivors from the wreckage.

spend + [resource] completely

Nadia spent most of her energy on the first few laps and fell behind at the end.

同義詞

use up
more general, less formal — can apply to any consumable resource
exhaust
suggests complete depletion, often with a negative connotation
expend
more formal, often used in technical or business contexts

反義詞

conserve
to use a resource carefully so it lasts longer
save
to keep a resource for later use

文法句型

spend + [physical/mental resource]

spend + [resource] + on/doing + [activity]

用法筆記

Often used with abstract resources such as 'energy', 'effort', 'strength', 'patience', or 'emotion'. The object is typically something that can be used up or drained. This sense is less common than the MONEY and TIME senses.

常見錯誤

❌I spent tired after the race.

✅I spent all my energy during the race and felt tired afterwards.

💡Objects of 'spend' must be resources, not feelings.

spend — verb

1. to give money in exchange for goods, services, or an experience, whether by buyi

文法句型

用法筆記

常見錯誤

2. to let a period of time pass while doing a specific activity, staying somewhere,

文法句型

用法筆記

常見錯誤

3. to use up physical or mental energy, effort, or strength completely while doing

文法句型

用法筆記

常見錯誤

spend — noun

1. the sum of money paid by a person, organisation, or government for goods or serv

用法筆記

常見錯誤