have been spent

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase “have been spent” is correct and usable in written English.
You can use it when referring to money or time that has been used up in the past. For example: "All of my allowance money for the month have been spent."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Formal & Business

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

58 human-written examples

It shouldn't have been spent.

The New York Times

Millions of dollars have been spent.

The New York Times - Science

And gazillions of pounds have been spent.

The Guardian - Opinion

Billions of pounds have been spent.

The Guardian - Opinion

The ensuing years have been spent rebuilding.

The New York Times

So money could have been spent better.

The Guardian

Since then, billions have been spent, especially on laboratories.

The New York Times - Health

Therefore billions have been spent with no real gains".

Independent

"Many millions have been spent to defeat me," he said.

The New York Times

And many rainy day funds have been spent.

The New York Times

Ideally, more should have been spent on education and training.

The Economist

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When describing financial expenditures, ensure the subject clearly indicates what "have been spent" (e.g., "Millions of dollars have been spent on research").

Common error

Avoid using "have been spent" with singular subjects. For example, instead of "The money have been spent", use "The money has been spent".

Linguistic Context

The phrase "have been spent" functions as a passive perfect construction, indicating that a subject (e.g., money, time, effort) has undergone the action of being spent. Ludwig confirms its grammatical correctness and widespread usage.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

44%

Science

30%

Formal & Business

10%

Less common in

Wiki

3%

Reference

0%

Social Media

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "have been spent" is a grammatically sound and frequently used phrase to describe the completed action of using resources like money, time, or effort. Ludwig's analysis confirms its correctness and wide applicability across various contexts. While versatile, ensure subject-verb agreement and contextually appropriate subject matter when incorporating this phrase into your writing. Pay attention to its function as a passive construction and the implicit consequences of the expenditure. Top sources like The New York Times and BBC showcase its journalistic and academic relevance. The most common contexts are News & Media and Science, making it suitable for formal and neutral registers.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

have been utilized

Replaces "spent" with a more formal term, emphasizing the functional use of resources.

were expended

A more formal and emphatic way of saying "were spent", often used in official or technical contexts.

have been consumed

Focuses on the depletion aspect of using resources, often implying a complete usage.

have been employed

Stresses the active use of resources to achieve a particular goal.

have been allocated

Highlights the distribution and assignment of resources for a specific purpose.

have been dedicated

Emphasizes the commitment of resources to a specific cause or purpose.

have been applied

Focuses on the practical implementation of resources to address a specific need or problem.

have been invested

Suggests that the resources were used with the expectation of future returns or benefits.

have been put towards

Indicates that resources have been directed towards a particular objective or goal.

were used

A simpler alternative, removing the emphasis on the process of spending but retaining the fact of usage.

FAQs

How can I use "have been spent" in a sentence?

Use "have been spent" to describe resources, such as time or money, that /s/have+been+utilized. For example, "Millions of dollars "have been spent" on the project."

What are some alternatives to the phrase "have been spent"?

You can use phrases such as "have been utilized", "have been consumed", or "have been allocated" depending on the specific context.

Is it grammatically correct to say "has been spent" instead of "have been spent"?

Yes, but the choice depends on the subject. Use "has been spent" with singular subjects (e.g., "The money has been spent"), and "have been spent" with plural subjects (e.g., "The resources have been spent").

What is the difference between "have been spent" and "were spent"?

"Have been spent" indicates a completed action with relevance to the present, while "were spent" simply describes a past action. For example, "The funds "have been spent", and we need more" suggests the spending has a current impact. "The funds were spent last year" simply states when the spending occurred.