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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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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
Emily Temple
september 5, Literary Hub, 5 Sep. 2025
There’s an audience for this film, for those who like their romances unsentimental and spare, politically conscious without overheaping the messaging.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 5 Sep. 2025
Simon Perry, People.com, 7 May 2025
There’s plenty of head room in both rows of seats and a spacious cargo compartment that offers features including a rubber mat, dog-friendly package and a neat underfloor compartment that creates space for a full-size spare — something serious off-roaders demand.
—Mark Phelan, USA Today, 7 Apr. 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
There is a spare, inviolate center, a harder resignation amounting finally to withdrawal.
—Emily Temple
september 5, Literary Hub, 5 Sep. 2025
There’s an audience for this film, for those who like their romances unsentimental and spare, politically conscious without overheaping the messaging.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 5 Sep. 2025
Noun
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
There’s plenty of head room in both rows of seats and a spacious cargo compartment that offers features including a rubber mat, dog-friendly package and a neat underfloor compartment that creates space for a full-size spare — something serious off-roaders demand.
—Mark Phelan, USA Today, 7 Apr. 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
-
Both coaches and players have been respectful of the other team all week, careful not to produce any bulletin board material.—
Tom Murphy,
Arkansas Online,
5 Sep. 2025
-
Ben Lewis Doherty, playing a boy named Sam whose life is upended by Robbie, is the show’s greatest innocent, a softhearted moppet who warns deer to be careful when crossing the street.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
5 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 12 Sep. 2025.
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