1
as in to scant
to use or give out in stingy amounts
I'll have a banana split—and don't spare the whipped cream
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to save
to avoid unnecessary waste or expense
she had grown up during the Great Depression, so she was no stranger to sparing
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in extra
being over what is needed
I had some spare time to kill, so I cleaned up my cubicle a bit
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2
as in careful
giving or sharing as little as possible
a man who is kind and gentle but definitely spare of speech
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3
as in thin
having a noticeably small amount of body fat
a tall, spare man
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4
as in scarce
less plentiful than what is normal, necessary, or desirable
spare vegetation that made foraging very difficult
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as in backup
an interchangeable part or piece of equipment that is kept on hand for replacement of an original
we promptly replaced the burnt-out lightbulb with a spare
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of spare
Seth Wickersham, The Atlantic, 8 Sep. 2025
For your phone, keys, and wallet, the exterior slip pocket extends across the length of the bag with plenty of room to spare.
—Caley Sturgill, Southern Living, 7 Sep. 2025
Brian Deese, Foreign Affairs, 9 Sep. 2025
Somehow both spare and ornate, immersive and voyeuristic, The Silver Book has a pull that can’t be denied.
—Literary Hub, 8 Sep. 2025
Taryn White, Travel + Leisure, 29 May 2025
Being the spare to Prince George, the future heir, is a vulnerable place — one fraught with potential pitfalls that her uncle Prince Harry, who also grew up as the spare, has made all too clear.
—Simon Perry, People.com, 7 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for spare
Verb
The ball was out of his hands, like that, toward the corner of the end zone, where Hifo caught it with inches to spare.
—Seth Wickersham, The Atlantic, 8 Sep. 2025
For your phone, keys, and wallet, the exterior slip pocket extends across the length of the bag with plenty of room to spare.
—Caley Sturgill, Southern Living, 7 Sep. 2025
Adjective
This year, nine out of 13 power markets in the United States are expected to fall below a critical reliability threshold, which marks the level at which the supply of spare power is considered sufficient to avoid outages.
—Brian Deese, Foreign Affairs, 9 Sep. 2025
Somehow both spare and ornate, immersive and voyeuristic, The Silver Book has a pull that can’t be denied.
—Literary Hub, 8 Sep. 2025
Noun
Bring backups of critical items: Remember essentials such as medications or seasickness remedies, and pack spares for things that can get wet (or lost) like gloves, hats, and socks.
—Taryn White, Travel + Leisure, 29 May 2025
Being the spare to Prince George, the future heir, is a vulnerable place — one fraught with potential pitfalls that her uncle Prince Harry, who also grew up as the spare, has made all too clear.
—Simon Perry, People.com, 7 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for spare
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spare
Verb
-
Trump captured attention his first time around, in part, by talking about issues that other candidates scanted: the threat of China, chaos at the southern border.—
NR Editors,
National Review,
22 Dec. 2023
-
For each of the debaters, the session will provide an opportunity for attention that has scanted them during months dominated by news about Trump and his parade of indictments.—
Seema Mehta,
Los Angeles Times,
23 Aug. 2023
Verb
-
Her efforts saved the animal’s life and landed her in her hometown newspaper, The Mountain Eagle, which was the first to write about the dramatic rescue and resuscitation.—
Michael Collins,
USA Today,
11 Sep. 2025
-
These annual gifts can also reduce the size of your taxable estate, saving more of your lifetime exemption for future inheritances.—
Nathalie Goldstein,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Still, the offense wasn’t flowing, and the unit had just given an extra possession to the Jaguars with an interception that led to a touchdown.—
Mike Kaye
September 10,
Charlotte Observer,
10 Sep. 2025
-
Goldenberg, who is based in Cleveland, had initially picked up the extra job a few years ago to help pay down the massive student debt he and his wife, a family doctor, had accumulated during medical school.—
Duaa Eldeib,
ProPublica,
10 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
But Eliasen is careful not to let scope creep derail initial implementations.—
Christopher McFadden,
Interesting Engineering,
12 Sep. 2025
-
Be careful when handling debris that may have blown into your yard.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
11 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Leaders who pay attention to these lessons now will be best prepared to thrive in a world where the boundaries between Earth and orbit are becoming ever thinner.—
Bernard Marr,
Forbes.com,
12 Sep. 2025
-
The water pressure then causes the vehicle to rise and slide on a thin layer of water between the tires and the road, making the driver lose control.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
11 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Treat storage as a scarce public good.—
Phil De Luna,
Forbes.com,
9 Sep. 2025
-
Water is scarce, rationed to just three hours a day in some districts, and packs of stray dogs roam the city.—
Yegor Mostovshikov,
The Dial,
9 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
That backup has since grown into a hundreds-strong campaign to refute the DHS allegations, which supporters call a resurgence of anti-Muslim fearmongering that has persisted across party lines since the 9/11 attacks 24 years ago this month.—
Hannah Allam,
ProPublica,
10 Sep. 2025
-
The primary backup appears to have dodged a bullet.—
Jeff Sanders,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
By extending sensor reach while conserving power, technologies like Wi-Fi HaLow can help broaden access to real-time environmental data, especially in areas where traditional networks fall short.—
Michael De Nil,
Forbes.com,
11 Sep. 2025
-
Nationwide, over 90 percent of the country is experiencing some level of drought, reservoirs in major cities have dropped to critically low levels, and officials have urged citizens to conserve water.—
Amir Daftari,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Spare.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spare. Accessed 16 Sep. 2025.
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