spend - pass

spend - pass
These verbs are used in a similar way to talk about time.
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If someone does something from the beginning to the end of a period of time, you say that they spend the time doing it.

Deery spent the evening reading Symonds's Life of Michelangelo.

She woke early, meaning to spend all day writing.

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You do not say that someone spends a period of time `in doing', `on doing', or `to do' something.
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If someone is in a place from the beginning to the end of a period of time, you can say that they spend the time there.

He spent most of his time in the library.

I have spent all my life in this town.

We found a hotel where we could spend the night.

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You can say that someone spends or passes a period of time in another person's company. This use of pass is rather old-fashioned.

I spent an evening with Davis.

We passed a pleasant afternoon together.

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◊ 'to pass the time'
If you do something to occupy yourself while you are waiting for something, you say that you do it to pass the time.

He had brought a book along to pass the time.

To pass the time they played Scrabble.

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◊ 'have'
If you enjoy yourself while you are doing something, you do not say that you `pass' or `spend' a good time. You say that you have a good time.

The customers were having a good time drinking and eating and shouting jokes at each other.

A lot of my friends had a marvellous time over New Year.

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Useful english dictionary. 2012.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Spend — Spend, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Spent}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Spending}.] [AS. spendan (in comp.), fr. L. expendere or dispendere to weigh out, to expend, dispense. See {Pendant}, and cf. {Dispend}, {Expend}, {Spence}, {Spencer}.] 1. To weigh or lay out;… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Pass — Pass, v. t. 1. In simple, transitive senses; as: (a) To go by, beyond, over, through, or the like; to proceed from one side to the other of; as, to pass a house, a stream, a boundary, etc. (b) Hence: To go from one limit to the other of; to… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • spend — W1S1 [spend] v past tense and past participle spent [spent] ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ 1¦(money)¦ 2¦(time)¦ 3 4¦(force/effort)¦ 5 spend a penny ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ [Date: 1100 1200; Origin: Partly from Latin expendere ( EXPEND) and partly, later, from Old French …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • spend — /spend/ past tense and past participle spent /spent/ verb 1 MONEY (I, T) to use your money to buy or pay for things: spend money/ 5/$10/a lot: I spent so much money this weekend! | spend money etc on sth: More money should be spent on health and… …   Longman dictionary of contemporary English

  • spend — /spend/, v., spent, spending. v.t. 1. to pay out, disburse, or expend; dispose of (money, wealth, resources, etc.): resisting the temptation to spend one s money. 2. to employ (labor, thought, words, time, etc.), as on some object or in some… …   Universalium

  • spend´er — spend «spehnd», verb, spent, spend|ing. –v.t. 1. to pay out: »She spent ten dollars shopping for food today. 2. to use (labor, material, thought, or some other re …   Useful english dictionary

  • Spend the Night — Studioalbum von The Donnas Veröffentlichung 22. Oktober 2002 Label Atlantic Records Format …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • spend — [v1] give, pay out absorb, allocate, ante up*, apply, bestow, blow*, cast away, come across, come through, concentrate, confer, consume, contribute, cough up*, defray, deplete, disburse, dispense, dissipate, donate, drain, drop, employ, empty,… …   New thesaurus

  • pass — Ⅰ. pass [1] ► VERB 1) move or go onward, past, through, or across. 2) change from one state or condition to another. 3) transfer (something) to someone. 4) kick, hit, or throw (the ball) to a teammate. 5) (of time) go by. 6) …   English terms dictionary

  • pass — pass1 [pas, päs] n. [ME pas: see PACE1] a narrow passage or opening, esp. between mountains; gap; defile pass2 [pas, päs] vi. [ME passen < OFr passer < VL * passare < L passus, a step: see PACE1] 1. to go o …   English World dictionary

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