Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Showing results for in spades. Search instead for in+spades.
Synonyms

in spades

Idioms  

  1. Considerably, in the extreme; also, without restraint. For example, They were having money problems, in spades, or Jan told him what he really thought of him, in spades. This expression alludes to spades as the highest-ranking suit in various card games, such as bridge, and transfers “highest” to other extremes. [Colloquial; 1920s]

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The 2026 Six Nations delivered attacking rugby in spades, with 111 tries the most scored in the championship since Italy were admitted.

From BBC • Mar. 16, 2026

That takes creativity, intelligence and gumption, and I’m sure your grandfather has those in spades.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 24, 2026

Many US refineries were designed, and are still geared, specifically for processing the kind of heavy crude Venezuela has in spades.

From Barron's • Dec. 22, 2025

QUAL’s index doesn’t exclude stocks based on accruals, instead looking for steady earnings growth, which these Big Tech names have in spades.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 7, 2025

I have no business improving others, much less buffing up Lelia, who has it over me in spades.

From "Native Speaker" by Chang-rae Lee

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.