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

Equipping a car with a spare tire increases the cost of building it.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2023

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says in documents posted Thursday that water can accumulate in the spare tire wheel well and damage the fuel pump control unit.

From Seattle Times ● Jan. 5, 2023

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

From Washington Times ● Mar. 18, 2022

Keep that stuff in your trunk, just like you’d have a spare tire.

From Slate ● Jan. 4, 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