spare

1 of 3

adjective

sparer; sparest
1
: not being used
especially : held for emergency use
a spare tire
2
: being over and above what is needed : superfluous
spare time
3
: not liberal or profuse : sparing
a spare prose style
4
: healthily lean
5
: not abundant or plentiful
sparely adverb
spareness noun

spare

2 of 3

verb

spared; sparing

transitive verb

1
: to forbear to destroy, punish, or harm
2
: to refrain from attacking or reprimanding with necessary or salutary severity
3
: to relieve of the necessity of doing or undergoing something
spare yourself the trouble
4
: to refrain from : avoid
spared no expense
5
: to use or dispense frugally
used chiefly in the negative
don't spare the syrup
6
a
: to give up as not strictly needed
do you have any cash to spare
b
: to have left over or as margin
time to spare

intransitive verb

1
: to be frugal
2
: to refrain from doing harm
spareable adjective
sparer noun

spare

3 of 3

noun

1
a
: a spare tire
b
: a duplicate (such as a key or a machine part) kept in reserve
2
: the knocking down of all 10 pins with the first 2 balls in a frame in bowling
Choose the Right Synonym for spare

lean, spare, lank, lanky, gaunt, rawboned, scrawny, skinny mean thin because of an absence of excess flesh.

lean stresses lack of fat and of curving contours.

a lean racehorse

spare suggests leanness from abstemious living or constant exercise.

the gymnast's spare figure

lank implies tallness as well as leanness.

the lank legs of the heron

lanky suggests awkwardness and loose-jointedness as well as thinness.

a lanky youth, all arms and legs

gaunt implies marked thinness or emaciation as from overwork or suffering.

a prisoner's gaunt face

rawboned suggests a large ungainly build without implying undernourishment.

a rawboned farmer

scrawny and skinny imply an extreme leanness that suggests deficient strength and vitality.

a scrawny chicken
skinny street urchins

meager, scanty, scant, skimpy, spare, sparse mean falling short of what is normal, necessary, or desirable.

meager implies the absence of elements, qualities, or numbers necessary to a thing's richness, substance, or potency.

a meager portion of meat

scanty stresses insufficiency in amount, quantity, or extent.

supplies too scanty to last the winter

scant suggests a falling short of what is desired or desirable rather than of what is essential.

in January the daylight hours are scant

skimpy usually suggests niggardliness or penury as the cause of the deficiency.

tacky housing developments on skimpy lots

spare may suggest a slight falling short of adequacy or merely an absence of superfluity.

a spare, concise style of writing

sparse implies a thin scattering of units.

a sparse population

Examples of spare in a Sentence

Adjective a spare pair of gloves I keep a spare set of keys in my desk. He has a spare frame. He was tall and spare. I like her spare style of writing. Verb No one knows why the gunman shot some people and spared others. Somehow the storm spared our house while nearby buildings were destroyed. She was spared from having to answer any more questions. He wanted to spare his family from the stress he had endured. I could have spared myself the trouble. He spared them the embarrassment of a public apology. If you could spare a cup of sugar, it would save me a trip to the store. Noun “I've lost the key.” “You'll find a spare in the drawer.” If that one breaks, I've got a spare. Most cars come with spares. He got a strike and two spares.
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
Americans in their 20s and 30s nowadays have a lot of spare parental love in their hearts — and their dogs are lapping it up. Sam Apple, New York Times, 14 Mar. 2024 The aid will include artillery shells, anti-armor weapons, cluster munitions, antiaircraft Stinger weapons and other arms, as well as spare parts, U.S. officials said. Dan Lamothe, Washington Post, 12 Mar. 2024 The over-reliance on cliché in an already spare screenplay doesn’t help either. Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Mar. 2024 But holes still remain, particularly in the ability of Japanese and Dutch engineers to continue doing some equipment repairs, and in the flow of spare parts that are used in semiconductor manufacturing equipment. Andreo Calonzo, Fortune Asia, 11 Mar. 2024 Now, in Good Lookin’ Cookin’, the sisters will reveal 80 more beloved recipes like barbecue spare ribs, macaroni and cheese and strawberry shortcake. Sabrina Weiss, Peoplemag, 7 Mar. 2024 In many communities, tweens and teens looking to earn spare cash can also be found via requests for recommendations on social media. Carley Thornell, The Enquirer, 23 Feb. 2024 This monumental project brought an influx of construction workers to the city of Las Vegas, and local entrepreneurs wasted no time in opening casinos to relieve these men of their spare cash. Chris Carra, Smithsonian Magazine, 15 Feb. 2024 But there’s something else happening that appears to be accelerating that trend of temperance—Gen Z and millennials don’t have the spare cash to drink socially anymore. Ryan Hogg, Fortune Europe, 15 Feb. 2024
Verb
Others whose homes are paid off are going without insurance altogether, to spare the expense. Amy Green, WIRED, 16 Mar. 2024 Trying to avoid controversy or sparing someone’s feelings will backfire. Eugenia Last, The Mercury News, 13 Mar. 2024 These images are in stark contrast to the ones that the Kremlin’s propaganda machine has sought to project, claiming that the siege of Mariupol spared civilians and that the occupied city is now thriving under Russian rule. Constant Méheut, New York Times, 11 Mar. 2024 Meanest tweet With a few minutes to spare near the end of the show, Kimmel read from a Truth Social post by Donald Trump reviewing the show. Julie Hinds, Detroit Free Press, 11 Mar. 2024 Couple that with hundreds of pro-Palestine protesters shutting down a major section of Hollywood and many A-listers arrived with just seconds to spare. Katcy Stephan, Variety, 11 Mar. 2024 Offer a large tasting pour or even a full glass if there is enough to spare. Mike Desimone and Jeff Jenssen, Robb Report, 10 Mar. 2024 Latin America has had dictators to spare, yet El Conde is the rare film that gives one the satirical treatment. Valerie Trapp, The Atlantic, 9 Mar. 2024 Still, the flight attendant and event planner knows Jimmy spared them both the embarrassment of rejection by dumping her privately as opposed to doing it in front of their family and friends at their wedding. Joelle Goldstein, Peoplemag, 6 Mar. 2024
Noun
Betts warmed up with a few spares before a smooth release provided the perfect spin required for a strike. Morgan Chesky, NBC News, 24 Feb. 2024 Even if just a few dozen are recoverable—and the rest useful only as sources of spares—the 7th Brigade should have enough airframes to stay in the fight for years. David Axe, Forbes, 22 Feb. 2024 And that repeated itself again with Margaret and Elizabeth in a sense of the heir and the spare. Brande Victorian, The Hollywood Reporter, 20 Dec. 2023 There were occasional spares whereby one pin toppled another without making contact, simply by crossing strings. David Wharton, Los Angeles Times, 21 Nov. 2023 Finally, pack up and head to the nearest mechanic to change your spare for a longer-term tire. Lauren Farrell, Chicago Tribune, 1 Aug. 2023 Helena raises her arms in celebration upon scoring one of those noncontact spares. David Wharton, Los Angeles Times, 21 Nov. 2023 In the Republican campaign, the seven candidates in Wednesday’s debate were all running to be the spare. David Lauter, Los Angeles Times, 29 Sep. 2023 In Red, White & Royal Blue, an unexpected fling goes from playful secret to intimate love story for Alex Claremont-Diaz (Taylor Zakhar Perez), the first son of the United States, and Prince Henry (Nicholas Galitzine), Britain’s spare. Abbey White, The Hollywood Reporter, 14 Aug. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'spare.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English, from Old English spær sparing, scant; akin to Old High German spar spare

Verb

Middle English, from Old English sparian; akin to Old High German sparōn to spare, Old English spær, adjective, scant

First Known Use

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Noun

1907, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of spare was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near spare

Cite this Entry

“Spare.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/spare. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

spare

1 of 3 verb
ˈspa(ə)r How to pronounce spare (audio)
ˈspe(ə)r
spared; sparing
1
: to keep from being punished or harmed : show mercy
spared the prisoners
2
: to free of the need to do something
spare yourself the trouble
3
: to hold off from doing or spending
spare no cost
4
: to use or give out in small amounts
more pancakes, please, and don't spare the syrup
5
a
: to give up as not really needed
can you spare me a few minutes
couldn't spare a dime
b
: to have left over
got there with time to spare

spare

2 of 3 adjective
sparer; sparest
1
: held in reserve
a spare tire
2
: being over what is needed
spare time
3
: not generous or wasteful : sparing
4
: somewhat thin
5
: not abundant or plentiful : scanty
sparely adverb
spareness noun

spare

3 of 3 noun
1
: a spare or duplicate piece or part
2
: the knocking down of all 10 bowling pins with the first two balls in a frame in bowling
Etymology

Verb

Old English sparian "to refrain from harming"

Adjective

Middle English spare "being extra or more than is needed"

More from Merriam-Webster on spare

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