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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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
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Recent Examples of spare
Sonari Glinton, Forbes.com, 16 June 2025
Boelter allegedly showed up to their doors in the middle of the night impersonating a police officer and wearing a realistic-looking mask, officials said, noting that two other lawmakers were spared the night of the shootings.
—Kevin Shalvey, ABC News, 16 June 2025
Ludovic Righetti, IEEE Spectrum, 10 June 2025
But the alternative was even more unsettling: filling the position with spare parts before making a desperate trade at the deadline, a strategy that has not worked the past few years.
—Troy Renck, Denver Post, 4 June 2025
New Atlas, 24 Mar. 2025
Because their visitors were man-for-man, whoever pressed Ederson would leave a player spare.
—Liam Tharme, The Athletic, 16 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for spare
Verb
Even celebrities who can have access to drivers, car shares, and the best safety tech aren't spared.
—Sonari Glinton, Forbes.com, 16 June 2025
Boelter allegedly showed up to their doors in the middle of the night impersonating a police officer and wearing a realistic-looking mask, officials said, noting that two other lawmakers were spared the night of the shootings.
—Kevin Shalvey, ABC News, 16 June 2025
Adjective
Their creativity has been made possible through the affordability of commercial drones, spare parts, 3D printers, and the availability of open-source software and hardware.
—Ludovic Righetti, IEEE Spectrum, 10 June 2025
But the alternative was even more unsettling: filling the position with spare parts before making a desperate trade at the deadline, a strategy that has not worked the past few years.
—Troy Renck, Denver Post, 4 June 2025
Noun
There's also a stock of parts and spares, and a follow-up list of inventory in third-party warehouses that has had its value cut by 65% for the purpose of liquidation.
—New Atlas, 24 Mar. 2025
Because their visitors were man-for-man, whoever pressed Ederson would leave a player spare.
—Liam Tharme, The Athletic, 16 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for spare
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spare
Verb
-
By scanting this complexity, Remnick leaves readers with a less than totally satisfying depiction of Obama's encounter with the world of black Chicago.—
Walter Russell Mead,
Foreign Affairs,
1 July 2010
-
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
Verb
-
Molly saves the day, grabbing a teapot from a closet, where she’s been saving a secret stash of cash.—
Emily Nussbaum,
New Yorker,
9 June 2025
-
On the plus side, Hershel finally perfected his knife-throwing just in time to save mom Maggie from becoming Grizzly Chow.—
Charlie Mason,
TVLine,
8 June 2025
Adjective
-
Drivers are urged to slow down and use extra caution to avoid hydroplaning.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
14 June 2025
-
Draisaitl scored 11 minutes into the extra period by sending the puck off Florida defenseman Niko Mikkola’s shinpad and past goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky with a one-handed backhander to give the Oilers a 5-4 win Thursday night at Amerant Bank Arena.—
David Furones,
Sun Sentinel,
13 June 2025
Adjective
-
While the latest inflation and jobs market reports showed that any disruption caused by tariffs has so far been minor, the Fed is clearly being careful about what could happen in the coming weeks and months.—
Giulia Carbonaro,
MSNBC Newsweek,
19 June 2025
-
However, be careful of blurring the distinction between professional and personal relationships.—
Georgia Nicols,
Denver Post,
19 June 2025
Adjective
-
There is some thought that Epenesa could be an expendable player via trade ahead of final cuts, but that would leave them fairly thin given that Hoecht is suspended for the first six games and Bosa has a lengthy injury history, and already has one minor injury to his name since joining the Bills.—
Joe Buscaglia,
New York Times,
18 June 2025
-
The water pressure then causes the vehicle to rise and slide on a thin layer of water between the tires and the road, making the driver lose control.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
18 June 2025
Adjective
-
That's key in a country where good-paying jobs are scarce.—
Omkar Khandekar,
NPR,
8 June 2025
-
Yet with the old rail factory at Qadam station in disrepair, the know-how to forge, repair, and maintain Ottoman rail is scarce.—
Taylor Luck,
Christian Science Monitor,
6 June 2025
Noun
-
If Richardson isn’t available, the Colts may consider adding another veteran QB, especially with rookie Riley Leonard serving as the team’s backup.—
James Boyd,
New York Times,
13 June 2025
-
Many startups are exploring ways to combine energy harvesting with battery backup to enhance tracking and monitoring capabilities throughout supply chain operations.—
Kalhan Rosenblatt,
NBC news,
11 June 2025
Verb
-
Health officials also recommend conserving energy, using environmentally friendly household and cleaning products, and running a portable air purifier or a central air conditioning system with the fresh air intake closed or set on recirculate.—
Adriana Pérez,
Chicago Tribune,
6 June 2025
-
That said, the research found that wool garments conserved greater thermal comfort and minimized after-chill, the drop in body temperature athletes often experience during resting phases.—
Alexandra Harrell,
Sourcing Journal,
4 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Spare.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spare. Accessed 23 Jun. 2025.
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