spend on vs spend for

Both 'spend on' and 'spend for' are commonly used phrases in English, but they are used in different contexts. 'Spend on' is used when referring to the specific item or purpose on which money is spent, while 'spend for' is used when referring to the recipient or beneficiary of the spending.

Last updated: March 21, 2024 • 1599 views

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English.

"spend on"

Use 'spend on' when referring to the specific item or purpose on which money is spent. For example, 'I spent a lot of money on a new laptop.'

Examples:

She spent all her savings on a vacation.
He spent a fortune on that car.
They spent a lot of money on the wedding.
I spent too much on clothes last month.
We spent a lot on groceries this week.

Show examples from the web [+]

Suppose you have 100 dollars to spend on various interventions.
And their life of about money they spend on holiday pot cheeses.
We've got 19 billion to spend on health care or something.
Now it wants more money to spend on yet another ambitious and seriously misguided project.
There's always more money to spend on a drilling rig.
A lot of money to spend on yourself.
With the money you tried to spend on that lemon grove.
We have no money to spend on strange girls.
What you're about to spend on the flat screen.
Hence we have a huge amount of money to spend on useful projects.
And I left the price tag on it, so you know exactly how much to spend on mine.
I think two grand is a lot of bucks to spend on a costume.
I don't have a lot of money to spend on running gear.
Other teams, we give them money to spend on their dodgeball teammates.
Of course, the problem is that they have millions to spend on P. R...
So if you have £11,000 to spend on a car, then yes, you can.
My mom's generous, but she wouldn't give you The price of a smart car to spend on purses.
$50 million is far too much money to spend on a single object.
"Don't spend on equipment, maintenance".
Cash you'll just spend on something silly.

Alternatives:

invested in
paid for
splurged on
shelled out on
dropped money on

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English.

"spend for"

Use 'spend for' when referring to the recipient or beneficiary of the spending. For example, 'I spent a lot of money for my children's education.'

Examples:

She spent a lot of money for charity.
He spent a fortune for his mother's medical bills.
They spent a lot of money for the community center.
I spent too much for gifts this holiday season.
We spent a lot for the renovation of our house.

Show examples from the web [+]

I'd rather spend for ever up here than...
They got 100 grand to spend for one week's work.
In the case of the UK, figures for 1996-97 indicate that the average annual spend for a UK household was £29,40 (€42) that year.
Could the Commission provide a breakdown of the overall budget spend for the sectors listed below, using the most accurate and up-to-date yearly figures it has available?
Could the Commission provide a breakdown of the overall budget spend for the most recent year for which accurate figures are available for the sectors listed below?
The overall spend for 7,500 properties will have been approximately EUR 24 million (£16 million) for the period 1988-2008.
So after taxes and social security and health insurance, I'm left with $206.03 to spend for the week.
And all you'll spend for this entire package is just $39.92...
In the case of the UK, figures for 1996-1997 indicate that the average annual spend for a UK household was £ 29.40, or EUR 42.
2 of 'em we'll spend for the rings, the dress will cost 3 grand, we've to spend at least 5 grand for the road-train, and the restaurant will turn the pocket at 20.
Will the allocation of spend for the rebuild of Haiti be at the discretion of the Haitian Government to ensure they have a say in the rebuild of their own country?
It is estimated that for every euro a large enterprise spends for one worker on account of regulatory duties, a small enterprise might have to spend up to EUR 10.
I predict, also, that the investment that will flow into this will be somewhere around half of what the U.S. taxpayer spends for NASA's manned spacecraft work.
Taking into account the fact that some appropriations can be carried over to the following year, according to the criteria in the Financial Regulation, the last column of the table below shows the final under-spend for each heading.
This may be the last weekend we get to spend together for a while.
I think he was eager to spend money for enjoyment, to amuse us.
Sometimes, but most of the time we spend looking for other Alphas.
If it goes to the right people, then it would be the best money we will spend perhaps for a long time here at European level.
We do not spend money for the sake of spending money.
We spend two hours for every thing

Alternatives:

allocated for
dedicated to
set aside for
used for
expended for

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spend on vs spend for

"spend on"

"spend for"

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