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

For Black families on Route 66, the Green Book was as essential as a spare tire.

From Los Angeles Times • May 12, 2026

The next morning, Sylvia finds him shivering and near-incoherent, sitting in a spare tire on the ground.

From New York Times • Jan. 4, 2024

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

A couple of the main campers were already in the trunk of the red car pulling out the spare tire.

From "The Marrow Thieves" by Cherie Dimaline