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to spare

Idioms

In addition to what is needed, extra, left over, as in We paid our bills and still had money to spare. This expression uses spare in the sense of “leftover” or “unused,” a usage dating from the late 1500s.

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.

She’s there to see if her newly married, newly wealthy and perennially selfish sister, Frances, might be willing to spare some money to help her family back home.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 15, 2026

Even those who don’t have as much extra income to spare should contribute up to the employer match, if they have one.

From MarketWatch • May 8, 2026

She speculated that the older people were the ones who had the time to spare.

From Slate • May 4, 2026

To be there with three games to spare is a big achievement.

From BBC • May 3, 2026

Jam my foot in the crack, with no time to spare.

From "How It Went Down" by Kekla Magoon

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023