to spare

Idioms  

1. 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.

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

to spare

In March, the OBR judged that it would reach its goal with 24 billion pounds to spare.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 12, 2026

Earlier, Abdul Samad smashed an unbeaten 30 off 15 balls as Pakistan beat Bangladesh with nine balls to spare in a semi-final reduced to 13 overs by a wet outfield.

From Barron's ● Oct. 1, 2026

So it’s true that there’s not much room to spare.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 28, 2026

England's impressive T20 form continued as they thrashed Sri Lanka by six wickets in Cardiff to seal the series with a match to spare.

From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026

I looked at the woman more closely: had she risked fleas and lice to spare Betsie the sick-call line?

From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom