1
as in conserves
to use or give out in stingy amounts
I'll have a banana split—and don't spare the whipped cream
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in saves
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
as in substitutes
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
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Recent Examples of spares
Encyclopedia Britannica, 31 Mar. 2026
And Sokolov spares no blood rig throughout the film, with red spraying out of every wound, and some creative viscera that tests the limits of its characters’ invincibility.
—Glenn Garner, Deadline, 17 Mar. 2026
But lightning races through the body in milliseconds, and therefore often spares it.
—Jacob Stern, The Atlantic, 16 Mar. 2026
This version spares us a lot of extreme sexist posturing on both sides.
—Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 11 Mar. 2026
The quiet zone designation, which went into effect Thursday, spares residents from hearing train horns ahead of each crossing between Douglas Street in Hammond and Fisher Street in Munster.
—Doug Ross, Chicago Tribune, 28 Feb. 2026
Washington arrives in Tulsa with orders to kill Manfredi, but instead spares his life.
—Uwa Ede-Osifo, Dallas Morning News, 25 Feb. 2026
That, in turn, spares those jurisdictions from going through the more cumbersome process of auctioning off the vehicles, backers of the bill said.
—David Zahniser, Los Angeles Times, 22 Feb. 2026
Hammer spares no hard truths and offers no pat feelings with regard to how these people are bound to end up and what dementia ultimately does to them.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 17 Feb. 2026
Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 31 Mar. 2026
Palmeri’s dad, Tony, loved cars from the 1930s, and dual spares weren’t unusual to see on the sides of cars in that era.
—Eric D. Lawrence, Freep.com, 3 Mar. 2026
That means having standard spares available and maintenance procedures drawn up and tested.
—New Atlas, 17 Jan. 2026
Precision is necessary to pick up spares.
—Kirk Kenney, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Dec. 2025
The deal valued at approximately $450 million including spares, support, logistics, and training.
—Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 23 Nov. 2025
Keeping a physical key, and a few spares, handy is always a good idea.
—Cody Godwin, USA Today, 16 Nov. 2025
Probably requires at least splash resistant hands (or a whole bunch of spares).
—IEEE Spectrum, 4 Nov. 2025
Furthermore, all items containing lithium metal or lithium-ion batteries, along with spares or uninstalled batteries, belong in carry-on baggage, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.
—Mariyam Muhammad, Cincinnati Enquirer, 19 Sep. 2025
Verb
But God spares from this plague the land of Goshen, where the Israelites live, indicating a distinction between Egyptian and Israelite communities.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 31 Mar. 2026
And Sokolov spares no blood rig throughout the film, with red spraying out of every wound, and some creative viscera that tests the limits of its characters’ invincibility.
—Glenn Garner, Deadline, 17 Mar. 2026
But lightning races through the body in milliseconds, and therefore often spares it.
—Jacob Stern, The Atlantic, 16 Mar. 2026
This version spares us a lot of extreme sexist posturing on both sides.
—Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 11 Mar. 2026
The quiet zone designation, which went into effect Thursday, spares residents from hearing train horns ahead of each crossing between Douglas Street in Hammond and Fisher Street in Munster.
—Doug Ross, Chicago Tribune, 28 Feb. 2026
Washington arrives in Tulsa with orders to kill Manfredi, but instead spares his life.
—Uwa Ede-Osifo, Dallas Morning News, 25 Feb. 2026
That, in turn, spares those jurisdictions from going through the more cumbersome process of auctioning off the vehicles, backers of the bill said.
—David Zahniser, Los Angeles Times, 22 Feb. 2026
Hammer spares no hard truths and offers no pat feelings with regard to how these people are bound to end up and what dementia ultimately does to them.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 17 Feb. 2026
Noun
The contract covers full-rate production engines, initial spares, modules, engineering resources, program oversight and dedicated production support services, according to a release from RTX.
—Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 31 Mar. 2026
Palmeri’s dad, Tony, loved cars from the 1930s, and dual spares weren’t unusual to see on the sides of cars in that era.
—Eric D. Lawrence, Freep.com, 3 Mar. 2026
That means having standard spares available and maintenance procedures drawn up and tested.
—New Atlas, 17 Jan. 2026
Precision is necessary to pick up spares.
—Kirk Kenney, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Dec. 2025
The deal valued at approximately $450 million including spares, support, logistics, and training.
—Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 23 Nov. 2025
Keeping a physical key, and a few spares, handy is always a good idea.
—Cody Godwin, USA Today, 16 Nov. 2025
Probably requires at least splash resistant hands (or a whole bunch of spares).
—IEEE Spectrum, 4 Nov. 2025
Furthermore, all items containing lithium metal or lithium-ion batteries, along with spares or uninstalled batteries, belong in carry-on baggage, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.
—Mariyam Muhammad, Cincinnati Enquirer, 19 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spares
Verb
-
This approach conserves underground water resources.—
SJ Studio,
Footwear News,
6 Apr. 2026
-
Regular descaling helps prevent costly repairs, extends the lifespan of your washing machine, and conserves energy.—
Madeline Buiano,
Martha Stewart,
14 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Building this into your trip early saves headaches later.—
Lauren Schuster,
Miami Herald,
3 Apr. 2026
-
Born with Down syndrome, the South Elgin resident saves his money to purchase toys for his local fire district’s Toys for Tots drive (Scooby-Doo puzzles and Hot Wheels featured prominently).—
Darcel Rockett,
Chicago Tribune,
3 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Technological substitutes for firsthand encounters with human beings who are different from us do not exist.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
4 Apr. 2026
-
The data on the popularity of meat substitutes aren’t especially forgiving, either.—
Andrew Zaleski,
The Atlantic,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Set the scene Pigalle, situated at the foot of Montmartre, may have shaken off its reputation for debauchery but the neighborhood nonetheless preserves a seductive energy, a holdover from its red-light-district days.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
7 Apr. 2026
-
Harder still to see the people who have persevered through it all and the culture that preserves signs of civilization, even in deeply uncivil times.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The Pro now adds quite a fair bit of extras on top for around $70 more at the time of writing.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
3 Apr. 2026
-
Those are not added extras anymore.—
Assef Shaikh,
Footwear News,
2 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Decapitation strikes won’t do it—the Guards have a bench of replacements handy for each senior post, and their forces are fighting to protect the system, not any individual.—
The Week US,
TheWeek,
6 Apr. 2026
-
Between there and the national park’s Douglas Environmental Center in Gary’s Miller neighborhood will be another costly section, with some bridge replacements in store.—
Doug Ross,
Chicago Tribune,
5 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Not one receiver on the Miami Dolphins depth chart has established anything worth bragging about throughout their professional careers, and Miami’s two frontline wideouts — Tutu Atwell and Jalen Tolbert — are both career backups.—
Omar Kelly,
Miami Herald,
3 Apr. 2026
-
That led Smith to throw to a collection of rookies, journeymen and backups.—
Antwan Staley,
New York Daily News,
3 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The next domino to watch is sophomore forward David Punch, who was honorable mention All-Big 12 along with key reserves Tanner Toolson and Liutaurus Lelevicius.—
Steven Johnson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
7 Apr. 2026
-
Memphis reserves Adama Bal and Dariq Whitehead each made six 3-pointers.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
7 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Spares.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spares. Accessed 8 Apr. 2026.
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