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spare

Spare describes something that is extra. If you have a spare tire for your bike you can replace a flat, and if there's enough change in your pocket you can spare some to patch a friend's tire.

As a noun, a verb, and an adjective, the word spare has many meanings. A leftover part is a spare, you can spare a life when you save an animal or person, and you have spare time when you finish a project early. If you "spare no expense" you spend lots of money and when you spare a friend's feelings, you keep upsetting details to yourself. And if you have a moment to spare, you have time to share.

PRIMARY MEANINGS OF: spare

1
 adjnv
more than is needed, desired, or required
an extra component of a machine or other apparatus
give up what is not strictly needed
2
 adj
lacking in amplitude or quantity
3
 v
refrain from harming
4
 n
a score in tenpins; knocking down all ten after rolling two balls
FULL DEFINITIONS OF: spare
1

adj more than is needed, desired, or required

“sleeping in the spare room”
Synonyms:
excess, extra, redundant, supererogatory, superfluous, supernumerary, surplus
unnecessary, unneeded
not necessary

adj not taken up by scheduled activities

“spare time on my hands”
Synonyms:
free
unoccupied
not held or filled or in use

adj kept in reserve especially for emergency use

“a spare tire”
“spare parts”
Synonyms
unnecessary, unneeded
not necessary

n an extra component of a machine or other apparatus

Synonyms:
spare part
Type of:
component, constituent, element
an artifact that is one of the individual parts of which a composite entity is made up; especially a part that can be separated from or attached to a system

n an extra car wheel and tire for a four-wheel vehicle

Synonyms:
fifth wheel
Type of:
car wheel
a wheel that has a tire and rim and hubcap; used to propel the car

v give up what is not strictly needed

“he asked if they could spare one of their horses to speed his journey”
Synonyms:
dispense with, give up, part with
Type of:
give
transfer possession of something concrete or abstract to somebody

v use frugally or carefully

Type of:
expend, use
use up, consume fully
2

adj lacking in amplitude or quantity

“a spare diet”
Synonyms:
bare, scanty
meager, meagerly, meagre, scrimpy, stingy
deficient in amount or quality or extent

adj lacking embellishment or ornamentation

Synonyms:
bare, plain, unembellished, unornamented
unadorned, undecorated
not decorated with something to increase its beauty or distinction

adj thin and fit

“the spare figure of a marathon runner”
Synonyms:
trim
lean, thin
lacking excess flesh
3

v refrain from harming

Synonyms:
save
Types:
favor, favour
treat gently or carefully
Type of:
forbear, refrain
resist doing something

v save or relieve from an experience or action

“I'll spare you from having to apologize formally”
Type of:
exempt, free, relieve
grant relief or an exemption from a rule or requirement to
4

n a score in tenpins; knocking down all ten after rolling two balls

Type of:
score
the act of scoring in a game or sport
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