sparer; sparest
1
: not being used
especially
: held for emergency use
a spare tire
2
: being over and above what is needed : superfluous
spare time
3
: not liberal or profuse : sparing
a spare prose style
4
: healthily lean
5
: not abundant or plentiful
sparely
adverb
spareness
noun
spared; sparing
1
: to forbear to destroy, punish, or harm
2
: to refrain from attacking or reprimanding with necessary or salutary severity
3
: to relieve of the necessity of doing or undergoing something
spare yourself the trouble
4
: to refrain from : avoid
spared no expense
5
: to use or dispense frugally
—used chiefly in the negative
don't spare the syrup
6
a
: to give up as not strictly needed
do you have any cash to spare
b
: to have left over or as margin
time to spare
sparer
noun
1
a
: a spare tire
b
: a duplicate (such as a key or a machine part) kept in reserve
2
: the knocking down of all 10 pins with the first 2 balls in a frame in bowling
Synonyms
Examples of spare in a Sentence
Adjective
a spare pair of gloves
I keep a spare set of keys in my desk.
He has a spare frame.
He was tall and spare.
I like her spare style of writing.
Verb
No one knows why the gunman shot some people and spared others.
Somehow the storm spared our house while nearby buildings were destroyed.
She was spared from having to answer any more questions.
He wanted to spare his family from the stress he had endured.
I could have spared myself the trouble.
He spared them the embarrassment of a public apology.
If you could spare a cup of sugar, it would save me a trip to the store.
Noun
“I've lost the key.” “You'll find a spare in the drawer.”
If that one breaks, I've got a spare.
Most cars come with spares.
He got a strike and two spares.
Recent Examples on the Web
Jem Aswad, Variety, 15 Apr. 2024
Reisman flew on two shuttle missions after the program resumed flight in 2005 as NASA put in numerous safety stopgaps, including a mandate that a spare shuttle was always prepared to rescue crew members in orbit if their vehicle was damaged during launch.
—Jackie Wattles, CNN, 13 Apr. 2024
However, some of the affected facilities can deploy spare or underused processing units.
—Daryna Krasnolutska, Fortune, 13 Apr. 2024
For those without access to a spare half-a-mill, times are tougher.
—Andrew Khouri, Los Angeles Times, 11 Apr. 2024
So in a wartime government that tasks each of its top officials with lobbying Western allies for more weapons, President Volodymyr Zelensky delegated a specific track for Kuleba — to persuade countries with spare Patriots to transfer them.
—Isabelle Khurshudyan, Washington Post, 10 Apr. 2024
But Her Dad Changed Her Mind, New Book Claims
The spare gown greatly differed from Diana’s iconic bridal gown, notably lacking the long train.
—Simon Perry, Peoplemag, 4 Apr. 2024
For a not-quite-private flight, book with Surf Air to snag spare seats on small charters all over California.
—Cnt Editors, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 Apr. 2024
Lyons is glad to have the box in front of the library to scoop up any spare glasses from all the people anticipated to gather at the library on the big day.
—USA TODAY, 5 Apr. 2024
Sarah Zhang, The Atlantic, 18 Apr. 2024
Prosecutors pushed for Grant to get the death penalty, but the testimony of Grant's surviving brother, Jason, may have convinced the jury to spare his life.
—Jessica Sager, Peoplemag, 16 Apr. 2024
But is the city ready for the next drought?
Politics and government
L.A. has cut a tentative deal to provide $15 million that would spare Chinatown tenants from steep rent hikes.
—Vanessa Franko, Los Angeles Times, 15 Apr. 2024
While The Sympathizer spares no faction from criticism, both the book and series also harbor overt ideological aims.
—Andrew R. Chow, TIME, 9 Apr. 2024
Economic complementarity also drove them together: Russia had an abundance of natural resources but needed technology and money, while China needed natural resources and had money to spare and technology to share.
—Alexander Gabuev, Foreign Affairs, 9 Apr. 2024
The Lakers were in great position Saturday after beating Cleveland, moving into eighth and owning momentum to spare.
—Dan Woike, Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2024
What happens to spare embryos created during IVF is a question that was thrust into the national spotlight in February, after the Alabama Supreme Court ruled that frozen embryos were people and characterized discarding them as killing unborn children.
—Justine McDaniel, Washington Post, 9 Apr. 2024
This roomy bag that can fit four days’ worth of clothing with room to spare while still slipping under the airplane seat in front of you is from the brand’s classic Maxlite 5 collection.
—Olivia Young, Travel + Leisure, 8 Apr. 2024
Morgan Chesky, NBC News, 24 Feb. 2024
Even if just a few dozen are recoverable—and the rest useful only as sources of spares—the 7th Brigade should have enough airframes to stay in the fight for years.
—David Axe, Forbes, 22 Feb. 2024
And that repeated itself again with Margaret and Elizabeth in a sense of the heir and the spare.
—Brande Victorian, The Hollywood Reporter, 20 Dec. 2023
There were occasional spares whereby one pin toppled another without making contact, simply by crossing strings.
—David Wharton, Los Angeles Times, 21 Nov. 2023
Finally, pack up and head to the nearest mechanic to change your spare for a longer-term tire.
—Lauren Farrell, Chicago Tribune, 1 Aug. 2023
Helena raises her arms in celebration upon scoring one of those noncontact spares.
—David Wharton, Los Angeles Times, 21 Nov. 2023
In the Republican campaign, the seven candidates in Wednesday’s debate were all running to be the spare.
—David Lauter, Los Angeles Times, 29 Sep. 2023
In Red, White & Royal Blue, an unexpected fling goes from playful secret to intimate love story for Alex Claremont-Diaz (Taylor Zakhar Perez), the first son of the United States, and Prince Henry (Nicholas Galitzine), Britain’s spare.
—Abbey White, The Hollywood Reporter, 14 Aug. 2023
Adjective
The stage was huge but spare, lit with whites and greys at first, but gradually introduced more color and interstellar visuals, and by the end featured glorious galaxies and stars and wild lighting treatments.
—Jem Aswad, Variety, 15 Apr. 2024
Reisman flew on two shuttle missions after the program resumed flight in 2005 as NASA put in numerous safety stopgaps, including a mandate that a spare shuttle was always prepared to rescue crew members in orbit if their vehicle was damaged during launch.
—Jackie Wattles, CNN, 13 Apr. 2024
However, some of the affected facilities can deploy spare or underused processing units.
—Daryna Krasnolutska, Fortune, 13 Apr. 2024
For those without access to a spare half-a-mill, times are tougher.
—Andrew Khouri, Los Angeles Times, 11 Apr. 2024
So in a wartime government that tasks each of its top officials with lobbying Western allies for more weapons, President Volodymyr Zelensky delegated a specific track for Kuleba — to persuade countries with spare Patriots to transfer them.
—Isabelle Khurshudyan, Washington Post, 10 Apr. 2024
But Her Dad Changed Her Mind, New Book Claims
The spare gown greatly differed from Diana’s iconic bridal gown, notably lacking the long train.
—Simon Perry, Peoplemag, 4 Apr. 2024
For a not-quite-private flight, book with Surf Air to snag spare seats on small charters all over California.
—Cnt Editors, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 Apr. 2024
Lyons is glad to have the box in front of the library to scoop up any spare glasses from all the people anticipated to gather at the library on the big day.
—USA TODAY, 5 Apr. 2024
Verb
Why cyclophosphamide works so well against graft-versus-host disease is still unclear, but the drug also seems to selectively kill white blood cells active in the disease while sparing those that quell the immune system.
—Sarah Zhang, The Atlantic, 18 Apr. 2024
Prosecutors pushed for Grant to get the death penalty, but the testimony of Grant's surviving brother, Jason, may have convinced the jury to spare his life.
—Jessica Sager, Peoplemag, 16 Apr. 2024
But is the city ready for the next drought?
Politics and government
L.A. has cut a tentative deal to provide $15 million that would spare Chinatown tenants from steep rent hikes.
—Vanessa Franko, Los Angeles Times, 15 Apr. 2024
While The Sympathizer spares no faction from criticism, both the book and series also harbor overt ideological aims.
—Andrew R. Chow, TIME, 9 Apr. 2024
Economic complementarity also drove them together: Russia had an abundance of natural resources but needed technology and money, while China needed natural resources and had money to spare and technology to share.
—Alexander Gabuev, Foreign Affairs, 9 Apr. 2024
The Lakers were in great position Saturday after beating Cleveland, moving into eighth and owning momentum to spare.
—Dan Woike, Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2024
What happens to spare embryos created during IVF is a question that was thrust into the national spotlight in February, after the Alabama Supreme Court ruled that frozen embryos were people and characterized discarding them as killing unborn children.
—Justine McDaniel, Washington Post, 9 Apr. 2024
This roomy bag that can fit four days’ worth of clothing with room to spare while still slipping under the airplane seat in front of you is from the brand’s classic Maxlite 5 collection.
—Olivia Young, Travel + Leisure, 8 Apr. 2024
Noun
Betts warmed up with a few spares before a smooth release provided the perfect spin required for a strike.
—Morgan Chesky, NBC News, 24 Feb. 2024
Even if just a few dozen are recoverable—and the rest useful only as sources of spares—the 7th Brigade should have enough airframes to stay in the fight for years.
—David Axe, Forbes, 22 Feb. 2024
And that repeated itself again with Margaret and Elizabeth in a sense of the heir and the spare.
—Brande Victorian, The Hollywood Reporter, 20 Dec. 2023
There were occasional spares whereby one pin toppled another without making contact, simply by crossing strings.
—David Wharton, Los Angeles Times, 21 Nov. 2023
Finally, pack up and head to the nearest mechanic to change your spare for a longer-term tire.
—Lauren Farrell, Chicago Tribune, 1 Aug. 2023
Helena raises her arms in celebration upon scoring one of those noncontact spares.
—David Wharton, Los Angeles Times, 21 Nov. 2023
In the Republican campaign, the seven candidates in Wednesday’s debate were all running to be the spare.
—David Lauter, Los Angeles Times, 29 Sep. 2023
In Red, White & Royal Blue, an unexpected fling goes from playful secret to intimate love story for Alex Claremont-Diaz (Taylor Zakhar Perez), the first son of the United States, and Prince Henry (Nicholas Galitzine), Britain’s spare.
—Abbey White, The Hollywood Reporter, 14 Aug. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'spare.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near spare
Cite this Entry
“Spare.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/spare. Accessed 25 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
spare
1 of 3 verb
ˈspa(ə)r 
ˈspe(ə)r
spared; sparing
1
: to keep from being punished or harmed : show mercy
spared the prisoners
2
: to free of the need to do something
spare yourself the trouble
3
: to hold off from doing or spending
spare no cost
4
: to use or give out in small amounts
more pancakes, please, and don't spare the syrup
5
a
: to give up as not really needed
can you spare me a few minutes
couldn't spare a dime
b
: to have left over
got there with time to spare
spare
3 of 3 noun1
: a spare or duplicate piece or part
2
: the knocking down of all 10 bowling pins with the first two balls in a frame in bowling
Etymology
Verb
Old English sparian "to refrain from harming"
Adjective
Middle English spare "being extra or more than is needed"
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share