spend time

English

Verb

spend time (third-person singular simple present spends time, present participle spending time, simple past and past participle spent time)

1. To dedicate time to an activity.

   These days, many people spend time surfing social networking sites.

   • 2013 July-August, Henry Petroski, “Geothermal Energy”, in American Scientist, volume 101, number 4:

     Energy has seldom been found where we need it when we want it. Ancient nomads, wishing to ward off the evening chill and enjoy a meal around a campfire, had to collect wood and then spend time and effort coaxing the heat of friction out from between sticks to kindle a flame.

2. To accompany someone for leisure; to hang out.

   It's my day off today - let's spend some time together.   Parents should spend more time with their children.

Translations

dedicate time to an activity

• Arabic: قَضَى وَقْت (qaḍā waqt)
• Bashkir: ваҡыт үткәреү (vaqıt ütkərew)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 花時間／花时间 (huā shíjiān)

• Finnish: viettää aikaa
• German: Zeit verbringen
• Greek:

  Ancient: διατρίβω (diatríbō)

• Hebrew: בִּלָּה (he) (bilá)
• Latin: dēgō
• Russian: провести́ вре́мя (ru) (provestí vrémja) (pf.), проводи́ть вре́мя (ru) (provodítʹ vrémja) (impf.)
• Serbo-Croatian: provoditi vrijeme
• Spanish: pasar tiempo

accompany someone for leisure

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 陪 (zh) (péi), 聚 (zh) (jù)

• Finnish: viettää aikaa; olla yhdessä (to spend time together)
• Serbo-Croatian: provoditi vrijeme
• Spanish: tomar tiempo

Anagrams

• pediments