spacer

noun

spac·​er ˈspā-sər 

plural spacers

: a device or piece used to create or maintain a desired amount of space (as between two parts)

As long as your joints look even, it's more important that you avoid a large grout line at the last tile than worry about sticking to the exact measurement of the spacer.

—Jennifer Stimpson

Stiff spacers of low-expansion materials … may be used to provide a fixed spacing between the end mirrors.

—Arthur L. Schawlow

Use wood shims or spacers where necessary to compensate for wavy ceilings and to make certain the bottom surfaces of all strips are flush.

—Bernard Gladstone

Examples of spacer in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

As a floor spacer, Knueppel should compliment some of the Hornets’ key components well. —Roderick Boone, Charlotte Observer, 22 Oct. 2025

And, since the top surface is 35mm above the fan mount, placing a radiator above the floor would require the use of fans greater than 35mm thick to use as spacers. —PC Magazine, 17 Oct. 2025

Young children have to use spacers, holding chambers that allow the patient to breathe in the medication slowly so more of it reaches the lungs, and a spacer would hinder a dry-powder inhaler’s effectiveness. —Jen Christensen, CNN Money, 6 Oct. 2025

This luxe set has made it into Oprah’s Favorite Things List thanks to its ultra-soft, light-as-air spacer fabric. —Amelia McBride, Travel + Leisure, 29 Sep. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1857, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for spacer

• acer
• baser
• chaser
• pacer
• racer
• tracer
• eraser
• replacer
• radiotracer

Medical Definition

spacer

noun

spac·​er ˈspā-sər 

: a region of chromosomal DNA between genes that is not transcribed into messenger RNA and is of uncertain function