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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of spares
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
Its small population of 280,000, however, spares it from being a prime target for large-scale drug trafficking.
—CBS News, 5 Feb. 2026
The film spares nothing in showing the cruelty he and others, including Lupita Nyong'o's Patsey, endured.
—Allison Degrushe, Entertainment Weekly, 30 Dec. 2025
The new hospital opening at 1000 Fivepoint spares patients in this region a commute to Duarte, the site of City of Hope’s founding campus.
—Victoria Le, Oc Register, 1 Dec. 2025
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
Something around the house is always in need of new batteries, and the junk drawer can be a good place to keep the spares.
—Hallie Milstein, Southern Living, 17 Sep. 2025
Verb
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
Its small population of 280,000, however, spares it from being a prime target for large-scale drug trafficking.
—CBS News, 5 Feb. 2026
The film spares nothing in showing the cruelty he and others, including Lupita Nyong'o's Patsey, endured.
—Allison Degrushe, Entertainment Weekly, 30 Dec. 2025
The new hospital opening at 1000 Fivepoint spares patients in this region a commute to Duarte, the site of City of Hope’s founding campus.
—Victoria Le, Oc Register, 1 Dec. 2025
Noun
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
Something around the house is always in need of new batteries, and the junk drawer can be a good place to keep the spares.
—Hallie Milstein, Southern Living, 17 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spares
Verb
-
Regular descaling helps prevent costly repairs, extends the lifespan of your washing machine, and conserves energy.—
Madeline Buiano,
Martha Stewart,
14 Mar. 2026
-
As the body conserves heat, circulation may be redirected toward vital organs, reducing blood flow to joints in the extremities.—
Miriam Fauzia,
Dallas Morning News,
23 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Ziegler’s humor and sympathy for her characters—including Creon, who desperately wants to do right by everyone—saves the conflict between individual and state from heavy-handedness.—
Dan Stahl,
New Yorker,
13 Mar. 2026
-
His release saves Denver over $8 million in cap space.—
Chris Biderman,
Sacbee.com,
12 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The substitutes offered do not qualify as public amenities under any reasonable reading of the city’s own standards.—
Naperville Sun,
Chicago Tribune,
12 Mar. 2026
-
Material World is a weekly roundup of innovations and ideas within the materials sector, covering what’s changing in how fashion is made, scaled or engineered from emerging biomaterials and alternative leathers to sustainable substitutes and future-proof fibers.—
Alexandra Harrell,
Sourcing Journal,
12 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Nature preserves around the city provide even more opportunities to explore Central Florida’s landscapes.—
Lauren Dana Ellman,
Travel + Leisure,
13 Mar. 2026
-
Working toward self-sustainability at his restaurant, Lignum, the 30-something chef preserves the glut of what's grown in the kitchen garden for the winter months.—
Grainne McBride,
Condé Nast Traveler,
13 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Believe it or not, the race for the Democratic nomination has already narrowed to two main players and a gaggle of extras.—
Keith Naughton,
The Washington Examiner,
14 Mar. 2026
-
Downtown Dallas stood in for the streets of New York City and extras were needed in Fort Worth for a scene at Manhattan’s Museum of Modern Art.—
Dallas Morning News,
Dallas Morning News,
13 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The replacements – marbles, the honeycomb candy carving game, the ddakji tile-flipping game – were chosen because any viewer anywhere could understand them within seconds.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
16 Mar. 2026
-
Users can get free replacements from Insulet.—
Emily Kay Votruba,
EverydayHealth.com,
13 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
By default, backups in the Schedule tab are set to occur continuously.—
Justin Pot,
PC Magazine,
13 Mar. 2026
-
Even a couple of our backups were in and out with injuries.—
Matt Murschel,
The Orlando Sentinel,
13 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
But analysts said that tapping reserves isn’t a longterm solution.—
Anton L. Delgado,
Chicago Tribune,
17 Mar. 2026
-
China is also a major producer of oil and gas in its own right and has been building up its strategic oil reserves.—
Janis Mackey Frayer,
NBC news,
17 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Spares.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spares. Accessed 18 Mar. 2026.
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