[Grammar] Is it correct to say “spendings”?

[Mori]

I've checked the word spending in many dictionaries and they all say it's uncountable. For example:

• Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary
• Collins English Dictionary

However, I've seen many examples of spendings in corpora such as COCA. For example:

I think if you cut some government spendings and government itself, I think this will trickle on down to people that really need help.

How can it be explained?

P.S. Also asked here and here.

 

[Tdol]

It can be explained in two ways: firstly, the dictionary definitions are tendencies and not absolute rules, so most uncountable nouns can have plurals in certain contexts, and, secondly, there is a tendency to use plurals today that were not used in the past, while dictionaries look to confirm established forms rather than fashions that pass.

 

[Rover_KE]

Mori, as a matter of courtesy, please tell us if you are asking the same question in other forums, and give us a link to it – like this.

 

[GoesStation]

The sample you've quoted looks like casual writing from an online forum. I see spendings in the quote as a typo or possibly the product of a non-native Anglophone.

 

[Raymott]

"Spendings" is extensively used by economists, but rarely by normal people.

 

[Rover_KE]

Mori, it would be a pity if you had to receive a ban for failing to respond to our very reasonable request.

 

[Mori]

Mori, it would be a pity if you had to receive a ban for failing to respond to our very reasonable request.

Added the links as you asked, but when I saved it, my post just disappeared! There seems to be a technical problem.