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
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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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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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of spare
David J. Neal,
The Orlando Sentinel,
29 June 2026
The outcome spares officials the headache of changing their ballot rules just a few months before the 2026 midterm congressional elections.
—
Mark Sherman,
Chicago Tribune,
29 June 2026
ABC News,
4 July 2026
For homeowners near host stadiums, the tournament has turned spare bedrooms and second homes into prime real estate.
—
Emma Burleigh,
Fortune,
3 July 2026
Maven Navarro
june 1,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
1 June 2026
And since no one expires from, say, cancer or other now-curable diseases, and bones and organs can be replaced like car parts with artificial spares, people only pass when involved in freak accidents…or take their own lives.
—
Leslie Felperin,
HollywoodReporter,
24 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for spare
Verb
Jean Potvin spent his last two seasons as an Islanders spare part while his brother and captain accepted the Stanley Cup the first two of four consecutive times.
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David J. Neal,
The Orlando Sentinel,
29 June 2026
The outcome spares officials the headache of changing their ballot rules just a few months before the 2026 midterm congressional elections.
—
Mark Sherman,
Chicago Tribune,
29 June 2026
Adjective
Bethell hit five fours and five sixes in his 46-ball stay, finishing the game alongside Jofra Archer as England nailed a four-wicket win with an over to spare.
—
ABC News,
4 July 2026
For homeowners near host stadiums, the tournament has turned spare bedrooms and second homes into prime real estate.
—
Emma Burleigh,
Fortune,
3 July 2026
Noun
The Fort Worth division of Lockheed Martin was also given a $17 million modification to an existing contract for provisioning spares.
—
Maven Navarro
june 1,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
1 June 2026
And since no one expires from, say, cancer or other now-curable diseases, and bones and organs can be replaced like car parts with artificial spares, people only pass when involved in freak accidents…or take their own lives.
—
Leslie Felperin,
HollywoodReporter,
24 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for spare
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spare
Verb
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For one, most victims do not trust the justice system, which leads to scant reporting.
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There were few roads or trails or even paths to follow and scant potable water, but plenty of pit vipers and tarantulas.
Verb
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There’s a bunch of new things across most of the 2026 range, mainly cosmetic, but also hardware and weight-saving stuff as well.
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The measure could incentivize lawmakers to save more money because funds tucked away in the rainy day fund would no longer be considered expenditures counted toward the spending limit.
Adjective
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That kind of granular information is important for emergency responders in the field and planners who make decisions about calling for extra help or ordering evacuations.
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Each extra year of training, for example, translates to $143,000 in additional annual income.
Adjective
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Determination and careful calculations — hold on, carry the 2 — are a must.
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Graduate students face lower federal limits and the loss of Grad PLUS, requiring careful financial planning.
Adjective
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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.
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Sprinkle the entire rug with a thin layer of baking soda and wait 20 minutes.
Adjective
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Rats are burrowing into aid parcels, forcing people to throw away scarce rice or flour supplies.
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Managing scarcity through digital modeling While deuterium is highly abundant and easily extracted from standard seawater, tritium is exceedingly scarce in nature.
Noun
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While Schmid fills the role of a high-end backup, Florida still needs to acquire a starting-caliber goaltender prior to the start of the season with both Sergei Bobrovsky and Daniil Tarasov departing.
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Crucial backup is handled by the Power Cube, which features independently prefabricated 2,500 kVA Power Transfer Units and diesel generators.
Verb
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In Cañon City, Colorado, authorities are aiming for a 20% to 30% reduction in water use while asking residents to voluntarily conserve outdoor water consumption.
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This will be a physically gruelling knockout stage, the first World Cup with five knockout matches, and conserving energy for later matches makes sense.
Cite this Entry
“Spare.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spare. Accessed 6 Jul. 2026.
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