spare tire

American  

noun

• spare tires
  plural

1. a tire used or kept available as an emergency replacement on a vehicle.

2. Informal. excess fat around the waistline.

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spare tire Idioms  

1. Fat around one's middle, as in He's determined to lose ten pounds and that spare tire he's acquired. This expression transfers the term for an extra tire carried in cars in case of a flat tire to excess fat around the waist. [Colloquial; mid-1900s]

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• spare tires
  plural

Etymology

Origin of spare tire

First recorded in 1920–25

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

spare tire

No more flatbed, which Joe conceded was mostly pointless with the bulky spare tire filling it up.

From Slate ● Jun. 22, 2025

“People don’t know how to change a spare tire, so they’re not going to do it anyway,” he said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2023

While I was considering who to call for help, a woman with a sunny smile offered to assist me with changing the spare tire.

From Seattle Times ● Jun. 19, 2022

He said the truck’s left front tire, which was a spare tire, blew out before impact.

From Washington Times ● Mar. 18, 2022

I peer through the back windows to make sure there’s only one spare tire, then return to my open door to give the news.

From "Allegiant" by Veronica Roth