spend

/spend/ (bre, ipa) · [spˈɛnd] /spend/ (ame, ipa) · [spˈɛnd] /ˈspend/ (ame, mw)

spend — 動詞

  • spendpresent simple I / you / we / they
  • spendshe / she / it
  • spentpast simple
  • spending-ing form

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

1.動詞及物 / 不及物A2
釋義

花費；花錢

用錢購買商品或服務

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.

Jin 把幾乎所有積蓄都花在一臺新的繪圖用筆電上。

spend [money] on [thing]

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

Watanabe 一家去年花了很多錢翻修老家。

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

2.動詞及物A2
釋義

花費；度過

把時間用於某活動或某處

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.

Mia 每天至少花一個小時在房間裡練鋼琴。

spend [time] doing [activity]

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

Ilan 和祖母花了整個週末烤餅乾，準備送給鄰里派對。

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

3.動詞及物B2
釋義

耗費；用盡

耗光體力、精力或耐心

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.

消防員用盡全力把倖存者從殘骸中拉出來。

spend + [resource] completely

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

Nadia 在前幾圈耗盡了大部分體力，最後幾圈跟不上。

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 — 名詞