Meaning of spare in English

spare

adjective

/sper/ uk

/speər/

spare adjective (EXTRA)

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If something is spare, it is available to use because it is extra:

a spare key/tire

spare sheets and blankets

Do you have a spare pen?

We have a spare room if you want to stay overnight with us.

Could I have a word with you when you have a spare moment/minute?

UK informal "Do you want this cake?" "Yes, if it's going spare (= if no one else wants it)."

spare time

time when you are not working:

I like to paint in my spare time.

More examplesFewer examples

I keep a spare tire in the back of the car.
Do it in a spare moment this weekend or whenever - it really doesn't matter.
We should be in when you arrive, but if the worst comes to the worst, the neighbors have a spare key and will let you into the house.
We were able to bunk down in a spare room for the night.
He bought an old engine and cannibalized it for spare parts.

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Too much and unnecessary

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Passive and not working

spare adjective (THIN)

literary

tall and thin:

He had the spare build of a runner.

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Animal physiology: thin or slender (of people)

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spare adjective (NOT DECORATED)

literary usually approving

plain and not decorated:

The interior is spare, almost minimalist.

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Plain and ordinary

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spare adjective (ANNOYED)

go spare UK informal

to get very upset or angry:

She goes spare if I'm so much as five minutes late.

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Becoming angry and expressing anger

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spare

verb

/sper/ uk

/speər/

spare verb (SAVE)

[ T ]

to not hurt or destroy something or someone:

They asked him to spare the women and children.

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Not punishing & reducing punishment

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spare verb (AVOID)

[ T + two objects ]

to prevent someone from having to experience something unpleasant:

Luckily, I was spared the embarrassment of having to sing in front of everyone.

It was a nasty accident - but I'll spare you (= I won't tell you) the gruesome details.

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Preserving and saving

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spare verb (TRY HARD)

spare no effort/expense

to use a lot of effort, expense, etc. to do something:

[ + to infinitive ] We will spare no effort to find out who did this.

not spare yourself UK formal

to try as hard as you can to achieve something:

She never spared herself in the pursuit of excellence.

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Using and misusing

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Trying and making an effort

spare verb (GIVE)

C1 [ T ]

to give time, money, or space to someone, especially when it is difficult for you:

[ + two objects ] Could you spare me $20?

I'd love to come, but I can't spare the time.

spare a thought for someone

to think about someone who is in a difficult or unpleasant situation:

Spare a thought for me tomorrow, when you're lying on a beach, because I'll still be here in the office!

to spare

left over or more than you need:

If you have any yarn to spare when you've finished the sweater, can you make me some gloves?

I caught the plane with only two minutes to spare.

There's no time/We have no time to spare if we want to get the article written by tomorrow.

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Giving, providing and supplying

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Thinking and contemplating

Too much and unnecessary

Idioms

spare someone's blushes

spare the rod and spoil the child

spare

noun

/sper/ uk

/speər/

[ C ]

an extra thing that is not being used and can be used instead of a part that is broken, lost, etc.

[ C usually plural ]

(also spare part)

a piece that can be used to replace another similar piece in a car or other device

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Replacing and exchanging

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Words meaning parts of things

(Definition of spare from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

spare | Intermediate English

spare

verb [ T ]

/speər/

spare verb [T] (SAVE)

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to decide not to hurt or destroy something or someone:

By reducing workers’ hours, the company spared some people's jobs.

spare verb [T] (AVOID)

to avoid something:

A quiet chat about this would spare everyone embarrassment.

spare verb [T] (GIVE)

to give or use something because you have enough available:

Can you spare a dollar?

I’d love to come, but I’m afraid I can’t spare the time.

Idioms

spare no effort

to spare

spare

adjective

/speər/

spare adjective (EXTRA)

[ not gradable ]

not being used, or more than what is usually needed:

I keep my spare change in a jar.

spare adjective (THIN)

[ -er/-est only ]

(of people) thin with no extra fat on the body:

He had the spare build of a runner.

spare

noun [ C ]

/spær, sper/

spare noun [C] (EXTRA THING)

an extra thing that is not being used and can be used instead of a part that is broken, lost, etc.:

In case I lose my key, I keep a spare in the garage.

(Definition of spare from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

Examples of spare

spare

Keeping your word in the first place will spare you the anguish of healing a betrayal.

From Huffington Post

She was a top student and had volunteered as a worker in her spare time at a refugee shelter near her dormitory.

From Los Angeles Times

It's all done in spare and idiomatic language, using repetition, refrains, and call-and-response to create a dreamy alt-reality.

From Variety

Meanwhile, he spends his spare time practicing piano and homework.

From ABC News

The result is a gap in the crystal structure and a spare electron sitting in the gap, looking all sad and dejected.

From Ars Technica

In the picture at right, you see a slab of spare ribs dissembled.

From Huffington Post

The young people of today have often spent their lives being coddled, catered to and spared the stress of living up to expectations.

From CNN

What people leave behind in hotels apart from their spare change and bobby pins was really disheartening.

From NPR

Television news programs spare no expense on studios that glow and pulse with video, audio, and on-screen graphics.

From WIRED

So, spare me the religious nonsense and support this advancement in medical technology.

From TIME

These examples are from corpora and from sources on the web. Any opinions in the examples do not represent the opinion of the Cambridge Dictionary editors or of Cambridge University Press or its licensors.

What is the pronunciation of spare?

B1,A2,C2,C1,C2,C1