sparer; sparest
1
: not being used
especially
: held for emergency use
a spare tire
2
: being over and above what is needed : superfluous
spare time
3
: not liberal or profuse : sparing
a spare prose style
4
: healthily lean
5
: not abundant or plentiful
sparely
adverb
spareness
noun
spared; sparing
1
: to forbear to destroy, punish, or harm
2
: to refrain from attacking or reprimanding with necessary or salutary severity
3
: to relieve of the necessity of doing or undergoing something
spare yourself the trouble
4
: to refrain from : avoid
spared no expense
5
: to use or dispense frugally
—used chiefly in the negative
don't spare the syrup
6
a
: to give up as not strictly needed
do you have any cash to spare
b
: to have left over or as margin
time to spare
sparer
noun
1
a
: a spare tire
b
: a duplicate (such as a key or a machine part) kept in reserve
2
: the knocking down of all 10 pins with the first 2 balls in a frame in bowling
Synonyms
Examples of spare in a Sentence
Adjective
a spare pair of gloves
I keep a spare set of keys in my desk.
He has a spare frame.
He was tall and spare.
I like her spare style of writing.
Verb
No one knows why the gunman shot some people and spared others.
Somehow the storm spared our house while nearby buildings were destroyed.
She was spared from having to answer any more questions.
He wanted to spare his family from the stress he had endured.
I could have spared myself the trouble.
He spared them the embarrassment of a public apology.
If you could spare a cup of sugar, it would save me a trip to the store.
Noun
“I've lost the key.” “You'll find a spare in the drawer.”
If that one breaks, I've got a spare.
Most cars come with spares.
He got a strike and two spares.
Recent Examples on the Web
Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 30 Oct. 2024
The watch comes with its full bracelet and a spare bezel piece, along with a certificate of origin from Vacheron Constantin.
—Allen Farmelo, Robb Report, 25 Oct. 2024
Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 16 Nov. 2024
If it was chopped down, Reeder could lie across the stump with more than a foot to spare.
—April Ehrlich, ProPublica, 12 Nov. 2024
Hyphensocial Contributors, Rolling Stone, 17 Sep. 2024
If those parts are not widely available, order spares and take them with you.
—Wes Siler, Outside Online, 31 May 2021
See all Example Sentences for spare 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Adjective
Texture was never Eastwood’s strong point; his films have mainly been stark and spare, with a sense of style that can nearly be defined as an abstinence from style.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 30 Oct. 2024
The watch comes with its full bracelet and a spare bezel piece, along with a certificate of origin from Vacheron Constantin.
—Allen Farmelo, Robb Report, 25 Oct. 2024
Verb
Regardless of the specific charges against her, Jean McConville was the victim of a war crime, disappeared by the IRA to spare them the public shame of dumping the corpse of a young widow and mother on the street.
—Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 16 Nov. 2024
If it was chopped down, Reeder could lie across the stump with more than a foot to spare.
—April Ehrlich, ProPublica, 12 Nov. 2024
Noun
Use the yellow pair for dishwashing, the orange pair to clean the bathroom, the blue pair to wash the car, and the pink pair as a spare.
—Hyphensocial Contributors, Rolling Stone, 17 Sep. 2024
If those parts are not widely available, order spares and take them with you.
—Wes Siler, Outside Online, 31 May 2021
See all Example Sentences for spare
Dictionary Entries Near spare
Cite this Entry
“Spare.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/spare. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
spare
1 of 3 verb
ˈspa(ə)r 
ˈspe(ə)r
spared; sparing
1
: to keep from being punished or harmed : show mercy
spared the prisoners
2
: to free of the need to do something
spare yourself the trouble
3
: to hold off from doing or spending
spare no cost
4
: to use or give out in small amounts
more pancakes, please, and don't spare the syrup
5
a
: to give up as not really needed
can you spare me a few minutes
couldn't spare a dime
b
: to have left over
got there with time to spare
spare
3 of 3 noun1
: a spare or duplicate piece or part
2
: the knocking down of all 10 bowling pins with the first two balls in a frame in bowling
Etymology
Verb
Old English sparian "to refrain from harming"
Adjective
Middle English spare "being extra or more than is needed"
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