spare

[spair] /spɛər/
verb (used with object), spared, sparing.
1.
to refrain from harming or destroying; leave uninjured; forbear to punish, hurt, or destroy:
to spare one's enemy.
2.
to deal gently or leniently with; show consideration for:
His harsh criticism spared no one.
3.
to save from strain, discomfort, embarrassment, or the like, or from a particular cause of it:
to spare him the bother; to spare her needless embarrassment.
4.
to refrain from, forbear, omit, or withhold, as action or speech:
Spare us the gory details.
5.
to refrain from employing, as some instrument or recourse:
to spare the rod.
6.
to set aside for a particular purpose:
to spare land for a garden.
7.
to give or lend, as from a supply, especially without inconvenience or loss:
Can you spare a cup of sugar? Can you spare me a dollar till payday?
8.
to dispense with or do without:
We can't spare a single worker during the rush hour.
9.
to use economically or frugally; refrain from using up or wasting:
A walnut sundae, and don't spare the whipped cream!
10.
to have remaining as excess or surplus:
We can make the curtains and have a yard to spare.
verb (used without object), spared, sparing.
11.
to use economy; be frugal.
12.
to refrain from inflicting injury or punishment; exercise lenience or mercy.
13.
Obsolete. to refrain from action; forbear.
adjective, sparer, sparest.
14.
kept in reserve, as for possible use:
a spare part.
15.
being in excess of present need; free for other use:
spare time.
16.
frugally restricted or meager, as a manner of living or a diet:
a spare regime.
17.
lean or thin, as a person.
18.
scanty or scant, as in amount or fullness.
19.
sparing, economical, or temperate, as persons.
noun
20.
a spare thing, part, etc., as an extra tire for emergency use.
21.
Ceramics. an area at the top of a plaster mold for holding excess slip.
22.
Bowling.
  1. the knocking down of all the pins with two bowls.
  2. a score so made.
    Compare strike (def 69).
Origin
before 900; (v.) Middle English sparen, Old English sparian; cognate with Dutch, German sparen, Old Norse spara; (noun and adj.) Middle English; compare Old English spær sparing, frugal (cognate with Old High German spar, Old Norse sparr
Related forms
spareable, adjective
sparely, adverb
spareness, noun
sparer, noun
unspared, adjective
Synonyms
6. reserve. 14, 15. extra. 17. See thin.
Examples from the web for spare
  • In his spare time he volunteered as a reserve police officer for the city.
  • Whatever you do, please spare us the righteous indignation in the comments.
  • Managing operations such as replenishing stock or delivering spare parts can be outsourced too.
  • The money was hidden in a spare tire attached underneath the truck.
  • In his spare time, he has traveled to all seven continents.
  • To spare you is no profit, to destroy you is no loss.
  • The bathroom is spare and airy, with blue-green tile on the walls and heated tile underfoot.
  • It was placed on the underside of the car in the wheel well that holds a spare tire.
  • In his spare time, he practices judo and gardens organically, and he has started a local-food project in his neighborhood.
  • spare a thought and shed a tear, though, for those working in insurance.
British Dictionary definitions for spare

spare

/spɛə/
verb
1.
(transitive) to refrain from killing, punishing, harming, or injuring
2.
(transitive) to release or relieve, as from pain, suffering, etc
3.
(transitive) to refrain from using: spare the rod, spoil the child
4.
(transitive) to be able to afford or give: I can't spare the time
5.
(usually passive) (esp of Providence) to allow to survive: I'll see you again next year if we are spared
6.
(intransitive) (rare) to act or live frugally
7.
(intransitive) (rare) to show mercy
8.
not spare oneself, to exert oneself to the full
9.
to spare, more than is required: two minutes to spare
adjective
10.
(often immediately postpositive) in excess of what is needed; additional: are there any seats spare?
11.
able to be used when needed: a spare part
12.
(of a person) thin and lean
13.
scanty or meagre
14.
(postpositive) (Brit, slang) upset, angry, or distracted (esp in the phrase go spare)
noun
15.
a duplicate kept as a replacement in case of damage or loss
16.
a spare tyre
17.
(tenpin bowling)
  1. the act of knocking down all the pins with the two bowls of a single frame
  2. the score thus made Compare strike (sense 40)
Derived Forms
sparely, adverb
spareness, noun
sparer, noun
Word Origin
Old English sparian to refrain from injuring; related to Old Norse spara, Old High German sparōn
Word Origin and History for spare
v.

Old English sparian "to refrain from harming, to allow to go free," from the source of Old English spær "sparing, frugal," from Proto-Germanic *sparaz (cf. Old Frisian sparia, Old Norse spara, Old High German sparon "to spare"). Meaning "to dispense from one's own stock" is recorded from early 13c. Related: Spared; sparing.

adj.

"kept in reserve, not used," late 14c., from spare (v.). Old English had spær "spare, frugal." In reference to time, from mid-15c.; sense of "flimsy, thin" is recorded from 1540s. Spare part is attested from 1888.

n.

"extra thing or part," 1640s, from spare (v.). Middle English noun sense was "mercy, leniency" (early 14c.). Bowling sense of "a knocking down of all pins in two bowls" is attested from 1849, American English.

Idioms and Phrases with spare

spare

also see:
to spare