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.

"We need to deploy equipment and qualified, specialist medical staff as quickly as possible," Lieutenant General Johnny Luboya Nkashama told AFP on Friday, "to spare this province from disaster".

From Barron's • May 29, 2026

None of this is to dispute that the company has been successful in seizing the attention of people with capital to spare.

From Los Angeles Times • May 21, 2026

I somehow made it back to my friend’s apartment with minutes to spare before post time.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 14, 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

He started to describe it to me but then stopped, realizing it was better to spare me the extra pain.

From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama

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