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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of spare
Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 27 Oct. 2025
Florida intends to spare no aggression.
—Noah White, Miami Herald, 27 Oct. 2025
Jeff Pearlman, Rolling Stone, 17 Oct. 2025
Most heavy machinery in Gaza is destroyed, cement and spare parts are urgently needed and vast amounts of debris still block the streets.
—Jane Arraf, NPR, 15 Oct. 2025
IEEE Spectrum, 28 Aug. 2025
The Silverado’s tires were inflated to their highest acceptable pressure for lower rolling resistance except for the spare, which was removed to lighten the load.
—Jackie Charniga, Freep.com, 6 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for spare
Verb
So why were contestants spared in season 27?
—Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 27 Oct. 2025
Florida intends to spare no aggression.
—Noah White, Miami Herald, 27 Oct. 2025
Adjective
With no spare dough for musical development, Tupac and Mouse relied on ingenuity.
—Jeff Pearlman, Rolling Stone, 17 Oct. 2025
Most heavy machinery in Gaza is destroyed, cement and spare parts are urgently needed and vast amounts of debris still block the streets.
—Jane Arraf, NPR, 15 Oct. 2025
Noun
But its replacement, which happened to be the only spare at the time, worked perfectly for six weeks and then off and on for several more years.
—IEEE Spectrum, 28 Aug. 2025
The Silverado’s tires were inflated to their highest acceptable pressure for lower rolling resistance except for the spare, which was removed to lighten the load.
—Jackie Charniga, Freep.com, 6 Aug. 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
-
Judging by his big grin, though, the best topic was saved till last when asked to describe Estevao’s display.—
Simon Johnson,
New York Times,
23 Oct. 2025
-
By benching Wilson, Denver made sure that he couldn’t get injured and was consequently able to save money on his release.—
Frank Nunns OConnell,
CNN Money,
22 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Need to find a home for your beauty tools, pantry staples, or extra sweaters?—
Sian Babish,
PEOPLE,
29 Oct. 2025
-
The flowy pants have extra-wide legs and a drawstring waistline.—
Olivia Young,
Travel + Leisure,
28 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
This careful tiptoeing is probably because the scissor artwork was never meant to be sold at a wider scale.—
Samantha Allen,
Them.,
24 Oct. 2025
-
Be careful when handling debris that may have blown into your yard.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
24 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Instead of a hearty stew of beans, meat, and spices like cumin and chili powder, Skyline or Cincinnati chili is a thinner, slightly sweet meat sauce with strong notes of cinnamon, cloves, and allspice.—
Tara Massouleh McCay,
Southern Living,
23 Oct. 2025
-
What the team found instead was a thin layer of clay, less than one-hundredth of an inch thick, which had formed on top of the animals’ skin.—
Amanda Schupak,
CNN Money,
23 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
At the same time, live sports are no longer scarce.—
Jacob Feldman,
Sportico.com,
27 Oct. 2025
-
When food is scarce, Edge said deer turn to berries from evergreen species like juniper.—
Craig Shoup,
Nashville Tennessean,
27 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Veteran backup Marcus Mariota will get the start in Week 8.—
Reice Shipley,
MSNBC Newsweek,
22 Oct. 2025
-
The longer the shutdown lasts, the greater the risk of cargo backups at these Texas ports due to unpaid employees calling in sick.—
The NPR Network,
NPR,
22 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Biologists believe reptiles evolved this unique system as a way to conserve water, but have long wondered how the urates don’t ultimately end up harming the animals.—
Andrew Paul,
Popular Science,
22 Oct. 2025
-
To help conserve the population, do not attempt to collect any of the beetles to take home with you.—
Lydia Mansel,
Travel + Leisure,
21 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Spare.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spare. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
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