spare
Americanverb (used with object)
-
to refrain from harming or destroying; leave uninjured; forbear to punish, hurt, or destroy.
to spare one's enemy.
-
to deal gently or leniently with; show consideration for.
His harsh criticism spared no one.
-
to save from strain, discomfort, embarrassment, or the like, or from a particular cause of it: to spare her needless embarrassment.
to spare him the bother;
to spare her needless embarrassment.
-
to refrain from, forbear, omit, or withhold, as action or speech.
Spare us the gory details.
-
to refrain from employing, as some instrument or recourse.
to spare the rod.
-
to set aside for a particular purpose.
to spare land for a garden.
- Synonyms:
- reserve
-
to give or lend, as from a supply, especially without inconvenience or loss: Can you spare me a dollar till payday?
Can you spare a cup of sugar?
Can you spare me a dollar till payday?
-
to dispense with or do without.
We can't spare a single worker during the rush hour.
-
to use economically or frugally; refrain from using up or wasting.
A walnut sundae, and don't spare the whipped cream!
-
to have remaining as excess or surplus.
We can make the curtains and have a yard to spare.
verb (used without object)
-
to use economy; be frugal.
-
to refrain from inflicting injury or punishment; exercise lenience or mercy.
-
Obsolete. to refrain from action; forbear.
adjective
-
kept in reserve, as for possible use.
a spare part.
-
being in excess of present need; free for other use.
How do you like to relax in your spare time?
My travel adventures seem to soak up any spare cash I earn.
- Synonyms:
- extra
-
frugally restricted or meager, as a manner of living or a diet.
a spare regime.
-
lean or thin, as a person.
-
scanty or scant, as in amount or fullness.
-
economical, moderate, or temperate, as persons; sparing.
noun
-
a spare thing, part, etc., as an extra tire for emergency use.
-
Ceramics. an area at the top of a plaster mold for holding excess slip.
-
Bowling.
-
the knocking down of all the pins with two bowls.
-
a score so made.
-
verb
-
(tr) to refrain from killing, punishing, harming, or injuring
-
(tr) to release or relieve, as from pain, suffering, etc
-
(tr) to refrain from using
spare the rod, spoil the child
-
(tr) to be able to afford or give
I can't spare the time
-
(usually passive) (esp of Providence) to allow to survive
I'll see you again next year if we are spared
-
rare (intr) to act or live frugally
-
rare (intr) to show mercy
-
to exert oneself to the full
-
more than is required
two minutes to spare
adjective
-
(often immediately postpositive) in excess of what is needed; additional
are there any seats spare?
-
able to be used when needed
a spare part
-
(of a person) thin and lean
-
scanty or meagre
-
slang (postpositive) upset, angry, or distracted (esp in the phrase go spare )
noun
-
a duplicate kept as a replacement in case of damage or loss
-
a spare tyre
-
tenpin bowling
-
the act of knocking down all the pins with the two bowls of a single frame
-
the score thus made Compare strike
-
Synonym Usage
See thin.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Adjectives
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
sparesimple
-
sparessimple
-
have sparedperfect
-
has sparedperfect
-
am sparingprogressive
-
are sparingprogressive
-
is sparingprogressive
-
have been sparingperfect progressive
-
has been sparingperfect progressive
Past
-
sparedsimple
-
had sparedperfect
-
was sparingprogressive
-
were sparingprogressive
-
had been sparingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of spare
First recorded before 900; (verb) Middle English sparen, Old English sparian; cognate with Dutch, German sparen, Old Norse spara; (noun and adjective) Middle English; compare Old English spær “sparing, frugal” (cognate with Old High German spar, Old Norse sparr
Explanation
Spare describes something that is extra. If you have a spare tire for your bike you can replace a flat, and if there's enough change in your pocket you can spare some to patch a friend's tire. As a noun, a verb, and an adjective, the word spare has many meanings. A leftover part is a spare, you can spare a life when you save an animal or person, and you have spare time when you finish a project early. If you "spare no expense" you spend lots of money and when you spare a friend's feelings, you keep upsetting details to yourself. And if you have a moment to spare, you have time to share.
Vocabulary lists containing spare
Vocabulary from the Introduction to "Reality is Broken" by Jane McGonigal
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
'Tis A Gift To Be Simple: Words For National Simplicity Day
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Front Desk
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Cirium and Aboulafia also flagged supply chain issues affecting everything from engines and spare parts to seats for both Boeing and rival Airbus.
From Barron's ● Jul. 16, 2026
That may leave more to spare for emergencies — around 246 million barrels, according to the DOE’s latest estimates.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 15, 2026
Axar played the aggressor, Sundar the anchor, and the win was sealed with 28 balls to spare.
From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026
Mr. Argue’s arrangements evoke that same sense of vulnerability, of raw emotion, blending bold sweeps of strings with spare passages.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 11, 2026
Then we get back to work on the spare room and Bubbe’s bedroom: moving clothes, packing up boxes, tidying and sorting the house till it looks as close to presentable as it’s going to get.
From "Code Name Kingfisher" by Liz Kessler
Overall, the spares business has ballooned to about 23% of Howmet’s revenue, up from 11% in 2019.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026
Incredibolt, trained by Riley Mott, at least spares the Preakness from not having a single graded-stakes winner in a two-turn race.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 11, 2026
The pope will arrive by helicopter, a diplomatic subtlety that spares him from landing on French soil without actually visiting France.
From Barron's ● Mar. 25, 2026
The planning application also includes public access along a circular walk, viewing areas, public toilets, spares to hire and restoration of the existing orchard.
From BBC ● Mar. 14, 2026
“If God spares Beth, I never will complain again,” whispered Meg earnestly.
From "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott
Some, I’ve looked at them, and I saw that I want to put more things on the front too,” he continues, looking specifically at one of the sparer pieces near the front of the gallery.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 11, 2025
Both Churchill and Zelenskyy inspired with their rhetoric, though Churchill’s words were more grandiose, while the Ukrainian leader’s message is sparer and more direct.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 23, 2022
It’s written, like her last novel, the furious and gorgeous climate-crisis allegory “A Children’s Bible,” in sparer, less busy prose.
From New York Times ● Oct. 6, 2022
In this cosmos of text, the white squiggles become sparer at the outskirts, like stars at the edge of a galaxy.
From Washington Post ● Jul. 8, 2022
A somewhat sparer form, longer and more flowing hair, and features less stern and strong, may perhaps have characterized them.
The softer light makes even the sparest of holiday décor feel homier.
From Washington Times ● Dec. 6, 2023
He’s known to demand only the sparest detail in his briefings, and his workdays frequently include hours watching cable news and posting on Twitter.
From Seattle Times ● Jul. 1, 2020
She painted that too, in one of her sparest and most modern pictures: a red hand and forearm lost in a sea of black, interrupted by a shaft of white suggesting an absent god.
From New York Times ● Jan. 27, 2020
Ideally, they’ll have only the sparest of answers to cling to as they sort out the aftermath themselves.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 20, 2017
They understood each other, using the sparest words.
From "Purple Hibiscus" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Dennis was spared jail time when he was sentenced last May, with the judge suspending the 17-month prison term by placing him on a two-year good behaviour bond.
From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026
Lore Van Moll, 33, a Belgian woman visiting her parents in nearby Alfaix, said she felt fortunate that she was unharmed and that her family’s home had been spared.
From Barron's ● Jul. 12, 2026
These findings saved lives and spared patients from needless treatments and side effects, cancer specialists say.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026
“We are already in the midst of a declared emergency and every family we can keep from losing their home is a family spared the trauma and instability of homelessness.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 9, 2026
I’d whispered at that moment, but once again we were spared.
From "The Diary of a Young Girl" by Anne Frank
In justifying the repeal of its former rule, the SEC argued that repeal made negotiating settlements easier and cheaper — thus, sparing the SEC’s scarce resources.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 17, 2026
The majority dismissed Hamm as improvidently granted, sparing the life of the defendant, Joseph Smith, and rejecting Alabama’s request for freer rein to execute intellectually disabled people.
From Slate ● May 23, 2026
Host Greg Davies also said he hoped Celia Imrie wasn't feeling too relaxed, not sparing her blushes as he reminded her of the moment when she accidentally farted during filming, a moment which went viral.
From BBC ● May 10, 2026
While a package sparing Spirit may benefit consumers, the potential solution has sparked blowback.
From Barron's ● Apr. 24, 2026
When the sound had stopped, I knew it was safe, and I made my way, sparing my right foot, back to the cave.
From "Z for Zachariah" by Robert C. O’Brien
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
