spacer

noun

spac·​er ˈspā-sər 

plural spacers

: a device or piece used to create or maintain a desired amount of space (as between two parts)

As long as your joints look even, it's more important that you avoid a large grout line at the last tile than worry about sticking to the exact measurement of the spacer.

—Jennifer Stimpson

Stiff spacers of low-expansion materials … may be used to provide a fixed spacing between the end mirrors.

—Arthur L. Schawlow

Use wood shims or spacers where necessary to compensate for wavy ceilings and to make certain the bottom surfaces of all strips are flush.

—Bernard Gladstone

Examples of spacer in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

If Green can establish himself as a dependable floor spacer, his shooting will be a valuable weapon. —Brian Sampson, Forbes, 17 Oct. 2024

There are, of course, all the usual elements for text, images, galleries, spacers, buttons, charts, forms, and links. —PCMAG, 28 Sep. 2024

The Aero is designed to accommodate shoe sizes running from a US women's size 6 to a US men's size 12, with a spacer available in two sizes to improve the fit if needed. —Paul Ridden, New Atlas, 26 Sep. 2024

The old factions like zealots, spacers and Crimson Fleet are on the planet, and there are new monsters, including Vortex Horrors, entering from another world. —Paul Tassi, Forbes, 17 Sep. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1857, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

spacer

noun

spac·​er ˈspā-sər 

: a region of chromosomal DNA between genes that is not transcribed into messenger RNA and is of uncertain function