1
as in pours
to give readily and in large quantities
doting parents lavishing lots of attention on their children
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in spends
to use up carelessly
a great actor who lavished his talent in lousy movies
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of lavishes
When Ray lavishes attention on another biker’s pet pillion, Kevin (Jake Shears of the Scissor Sisters), Colin sulks until his master unzips his trousers and gives him a treat.
—
Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 5 Feb. 2026
Majumdar lavishes her characters with careful attention, and so the reader comes to regard their most troubling actions as justified, if not inevitable.
—Tope Folarin, The Atlantic, 8 Nov. 2025
An ancillary of the brand’s best-selling, ambery-woody eau, each aluminum tube contains a quick-absorbing lotion that lavishes skin with moisture, keeping hands feeling comfortable and cuticles softened with its moisturizing blend of avocado oil, shea butter, plus green tea and chamomile extracts.
—Sophia Panych, Allure, 16 Sep. 2025
Branagh lavishes close-ups on his actors and gives them standout moments in his screenplay, as when Caitriona Balfe, as Ma, goes into a long, impassioned speech about why the family mustn’t leave Belfast.
—Mick Lasalle, San Francisco Chronicle, 8 Nov. 2021
Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 5 Feb. 2026
Majumdar lavishes her characters with careful attention, and so the reader comes to regard their most troubling actions as justified, if not inevitable.
—Tope Folarin, The Atlantic, 8 Nov. 2025
An ancillary of the brand’s best-selling, ambery-woody eau, each aluminum tube contains a quick-absorbing lotion that lavishes skin with moisture, keeping hands feeling comfortable and cuticles softened with its moisturizing blend of avocado oil, shea butter, plus green tea and chamomile extracts.
—Sophia Panych, Allure, 16 Sep. 2025
Branagh lavishes close-ups on his actors and gives them standout moments in his screenplay, as when Caitriona Balfe, as Ma, goes into a long, impassioned speech about why the family mustn’t leave Belfast.
—Mick Lasalle, San Francisco Chronicle, 8 Nov. 2021
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lavishes
Verb
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Audiences shunning the movie — which was released across more than 1,000 theaters in the US — is a reminder that art is tricky, even as the kingdom pours billions into building a film industry.—
Mohammed Sergie,
semafor.com,
29 Apr. 2026
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From there, a sculptural spiral staircase pulls you up toward the main living level, where a skylight pours daylight down like a spotlight.—
David Caraccio,
Sacbee.com,
29 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Barden spends a lot of time speaking to agents and other athlete representatives.—
Liam Tharme,
New York Times,
25 Apr. 2026
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How Gen X spends Shoppers are seen outside the French multinational personal care and beauty retail brand Sephora store in Spain.—
Laya Neelakandan,
CNBC,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The Deb drama is far from over, as the film's director and costar Rebel Wilson heaps new allegations onto the already sizable legal pile.—
Ryan Coleman,
Entertainment Weekly,
24 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Dana and Harper occasionally feel extraneous, there to fill out the group rather than carry out their own narrative arcs, but the bond between Charlie and Lorcan, and Lorcan’s search for his place in the world, is a solid emotional core the show never loses sight of.—
Wilson Chapman,
IndieWire,
1 May 2026
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Any horse entered into a claiming race can be claimed by another owner before the race, and whether that horse wins, loses or doesn’t finish, that new owner must pay for that horse.—
Neil Greenberg,
New York Times,
1 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Lavishes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lavishes. Accessed 3 May. 2026.
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