spare tire

American  

noun

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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Etymology

Origin of spare tire

First recorded in 1920–25

Example Sentences

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

Upon my arrival there, to my amazement, I found a gentleman, knelt down, almost finished mounting the spare tire.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 27, 2022

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

From Washington Times • Mar. 18, 2022

In actual time, not over an hour elapsed before I had the spare tire on.

From "Travels with Charley in Search of America" by John Steinbeck