in spades

Idioms

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

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in spades

On that Mr. Anderson supplies stories in spades.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026

The most electable progressives are instead happy warriors, a quality Ocasio-Cortez and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani have in spades.

From Salon ● Aug. 13, 2026

Life is about showing up for others, and you have done that in spades, but it’s also about enjoying what the world has to offer.

From MarketWatch ● Mar. 10, 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

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

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

in spades

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