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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of spares
Nikita Ostrovsky, Time, 18 June 2026
Selectivity also spares defendants and victims from the prolonged uncertainty of a lingering case.
—Rebecca Dunlea, The Conversation, 17 June 2026
Given this is one of the lower profile group stage matches taking place in Miami, with the headliners being Colombia-Portugal and Brazil-Scotland, an attendance of over 62,000 is somewhat impressive and spares FIFA’s blushes in the context of how many empty seats there were in the first half.
—Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 16 June 2026
As for features, Mercedes-Benz spares no expense on its iconic SUV.
—Charles Singh, USA Today, 4 June 2026
Yet once Adam is fully in command of his sword, so to speak, and subjected to a brawny He-Man makeover that at least spares him the lank bowl cut of the original model, things get rather less spry.
—Guy Lodge, Variety, 2 June 2026
The non-Classic Lightroom spares you from having to think about catalogs.
—Michael Muchmore, PC Magazine, 2 June 2026
Robbie spares Tom’s life and later sacrifices himself to ensure a better future for his children.
—Justin Kroll, Deadline, 2 June 2026
Natera spares no detail depicting how the one percent vacations—and the incredible toll luxury tourism extracts from locales, environmentally, emotionally, and existentially.
—Literary Hub, 19 May 2026
Maven Navarro
june 1, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 1 June 2026
And since no one expires from, say, cancer or other now-curable diseases, and bones and organs can be replaced like car parts with artificial spares, people only pass when involved in freak accidents…or take their own lives.
—Leslie Felperin, HollywoodReporter, 24 May 2026
White House officials defended the arrangement, arguing that donor anonymity is standard practice for major projects and that using private funds spares taxpayers.
—Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 22 Apr. 2026
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
If a motor with a 12-week lead time breaks and there are no spares, downtime can result in customer attrition.
—Jeff Mahler, Forbes.com, 13 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
Verb
The exclusive course, which is financially supported by oligarch Oleg Deripaska, a Putin associate, spares no expense.
—Nikita Ostrovsky, Time, 18 June 2026
Selectivity also spares defendants and victims from the prolonged uncertainty of a lingering case.
—Rebecca Dunlea, The Conversation, 17 June 2026
Given this is one of the lower profile group stage matches taking place in Miami, with the headliners being Colombia-Portugal and Brazil-Scotland, an attendance of over 62,000 is somewhat impressive and spares FIFA’s blushes in the context of how many empty seats there were in the first half.
—Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 16 June 2026
As for features, Mercedes-Benz spares no expense on its iconic SUV.
—Charles Singh, USA Today, 4 June 2026
Yet once Adam is fully in command of his sword, so to speak, and subjected to a brawny He-Man makeover that at least spares him the lank bowl cut of the original model, things get rather less spry.
—Guy Lodge, Variety, 2 June 2026
The non-Classic Lightroom spares you from having to think about catalogs.
—Michael Muchmore, PC Magazine, 2 June 2026
Robbie spares Tom’s life and later sacrifices himself to ensure a better future for his children.
—Justin Kroll, Deadline, 2 June 2026
Natera spares no detail depicting how the one percent vacations—and the incredible toll luxury tourism extracts from locales, environmentally, emotionally, and existentially.
—Literary Hub, 19 May 2026
Noun
The Fort Worth division of Lockheed Martin was also given a $17 million modification to an existing contract for provisioning spares.
—Maven Navarro
june 1, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 1 June 2026
And since no one expires from, say, cancer or other now-curable diseases, and bones and organs can be replaced like car parts with artificial spares, people only pass when involved in freak accidents…or take their own lives.
—Leslie Felperin, HollywoodReporter, 24 May 2026
White House officials defended the arrangement, arguing that donor anonymity is standard practice for major projects and that using private funds spares taxpayers.
—Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 22 Apr. 2026
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
If a motor with a 12-week lead time breaks and there are no spares, downtime can result in customer attrition.
—Jeff Mahler, Forbes.com, 13 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spares
Verb
-
EPaper is a display technology—best known from the E Ink brand commercialized by E Ink Corporation and widely used in ereaders—that supports ultra-high pixel densities, reflects ambient light, remains readable in bright sunlight, and greatly conserves battery life.—
Tony Hoffman,
PC Magazine,
3 June 2026
-
This method conserves water, meets each plant's hydration needs, and prevents overwatering by eliminating human error such as forgetting to turn off the hose.—
SJ McShane,
Martha Stewart,
31 May 2026
Verb
-
The hotel saves on labor and laundry chemicals.—
Christopher Elliott,
Forbes.com,
13 June 2026
-
Repurposing plastic water bottles reduces waste and saves money on household items.—
Ashlyn Needham,
The Spruce,
12 June 2026
Noun
-
As consumers looked for other low-cost substitutes, prices rose for other types of slicing tomatoes and cherry tomatoes.—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
12 June 2026
-
As a new ceremonial feature, all 26 players from each team — starters and substitutes — will participate in the ceremony by lining up around the tournament’s central emblem on the field, rather than in the traditional pregame formation.—
Eduard Cauich,
Los Angeles Times,
11 June 2026
Verb
-
The Board of Governors sets the Academy’s strategic vision, preserves its financial health and ensures the fulfillment of its mission.—
Clayton Davis,
Variety,
15 June 2026
-
The national museum preserves that history with aircraft ranging from early flyers to modern jets and spacecraft.—
Randy Tucker,
USA Today,
15 June 2026
Noun
-
The Berenstein Bear is up for sale from CAD 169,000 (US$121,000), depending on the options chosen, with extras including a rooftop deck and solar panels for off-grid functionality.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
10 June 2026
-
Part of that investment included acquiring extras, such as a second set of OZ wheels—this time in gold to complement the original silver ones—and a second engine cover, one without the trademark rear wing.—
Howard Walker,
Robb Report,
10 June 2026
Noun
-
And the city of Aurora began actively searching for a whole lot of replacements for the AVAC board.—
Denise Crosby,
Chicago Tribune,
14 June 2026
-
Now that the garden is complete aside from normal plant replacements, Sterman recognizes it as the expression of her own evolution and growth as a garden designer as well as changing views on waterwise gardening.—
Nicole Sours Larson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
13 June 2026
Noun
-
Apple has a significant recurring subscription model, including Apple Music, Apple TV and online backups.—
Ewan Spence,
Forbes.com,
13 June 2026
-
If the affected systems had been designed with resilience principles in mind, like geographic redundancy and continuous backups, then the loss of data could have been mitigated.—
Leonard Lim,
Fortune,
10 June 2026
Noun
-
Oil supplies may take time to recover, and countries that tapped strategic reserves during the crisis will need to replenish them, creating additional demand, Kates says.—
Mike Winters,
CNBC,
16 June 2026
-
Niger, which houses the world’s eighth-largest reserves of uranium, is not immune to this surge of violence.—
Kaitlyn Rabe,
The Conversation,
16 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Spares.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spares. Accessed 21 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
