gastar
to spend
verb gahs-TAHR Less Common
Origin: From Latin vastare (to lay waste), with West Germanic influence.
Also means
to use up
Usage Note
Gastar means to spend money or to use up / wear out a resource (gastar energía, gastarse los zapatos). To 'spend time' is pasar el tiempo, never gastar tiempo. A less obvious idiom: gastar una broma = to play a prank on someone — a usage learners rarely expect.
Examples
"Gasta demasiado dinero en ropa."
Natural Translation
She spends too much money on clothes.
Related Words
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