spare 1 of 3

verb

Definition of sparenext
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

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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

spare

2 of 3

adjective

ˈsper How to pronounce spare (audio)
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

spare

3 of 3

noun

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

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective spare contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of spare are gaunt, lanky, lank, lean, rawboned, scrawny, and skinny. While all these words mean "thin because of an absence of excess flesh," spare suggests leanness from abstemious living or constant exercise.

the gymnast's spare figure

When could gaunt be used to replace spare?

The words gaunt and spare are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, gaunt implies marked thinness or emaciation as from overwork or suffering.

a prisoner's gaunt face

When is lank a more appropriate choice than spare?

The meanings of lank and spare largely overlap; however, lank implies tallness as well as leanness.

the lank legs of the heron

When is it sensible to use lanky instead of spare?

In some situations, the words lanky and spare are roughly equivalent. However, lanky suggests awkwardness and loose-jointedness as well as thinness.

a lanky youth, all arms and legs

When can lean be used instead of spare?

The synonyms lean and spare are sometimes interchangeable, but lean stresses lack of fat and of curving contours.

a lean racehorse

When would rawboned be a good substitute for spare?

The words rawboned and spare can be used in similar contexts, but rawboned suggests a large ungainly build without implying undernourishment.

a rawboned farmer

How do scrawny and skinny relate to one another, in the sense of spare?

Both scrawny and skinny imply an extreme leanness that suggests deficient strength and vitality.

a scrawny chicken
skinny street urchins

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of spare
Verb
In granting the $15,000 appeal bond, de la O did spare Martinez from prison for now. —Douglas Hanks, Miami Herald, 15 Sep. 2025 No expense was spared on any of them. —Caroline Reid, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2025
Adjective
The cargo includes food, oxygen, and nitrogen, and spare parts for the station's urine processor, which helps convert waste into fresh drinking water. —Scharon Harding, ArsTechnica, 18 Sep. 2025 Passengers may bring up to 20 spare batteries on the flight with them, according to Southwest’s website. —Ashley J. Dimella, FOXNews.com, 18 Sep. 2025
Noun
Bring backups of critical items: Remember essentials such as medications or seasickness remedies, and pack spares for things that can get wet (or lost) like gloves, hats, and socks. —Taryn White, Travel + Leisure, 29 May 2025 Being the spare to Prince George, the future heir, is a vulnerable place — one fraught with potential pitfalls that her uncle Prince Harry, who also grew up as the spare, has made all too clear. —Simon Perry, People.com, 7 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for spare
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spare
  1. scant
  2. save
  3. extra
  4. careful
  5. thin
  6. scarce
  7. backup
  8. conserve
Verb
  • 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
  • For each of the debaters, the session will provide an opportunity for attention that has scanted them during months dominated by news about Trump and his parade of indictments.
    — Seema Mehta, Los Angeles Times, 23 Aug. 2023
Definition of scant
Verb
  • Biglari’s core demands were to stop opening new stores entirely, eliminate the development team to save money, and focus exclusively on improving existing store operations rather than expansion.
    — Lily Mae Lazarus, Fortune, 18 Sep. 2025
  • One paper in August estimates that Covid vaccines saved more than 2 million lives, mostly among older adults, worldwide between 2020 and October 2024.
    — Annika Kim Constantino, CNBC, 18 Sep. 2025
Definition of save
Adjective
  • Try one of Nour Hammour’s shearling options—the Carolyn is a classic silhouette for the brand—or opt a reversible option from Diane Von Furstenberg or Lafayette 148 for extra warmth and versatility.
    — Andrea Zendejas, Vogue, 16 Sep. 2025
  • Similar to an in-office treatment, step one is a trio of extra-strength exfoliating acids (lactic, glycolic, and mandelic), and step two is a clay mask to simultaneously neutralize the acids and deep clean the skin.
    — Sophia Panych, Allure, 16 Sep. 2025
Definition of extra
Adjective
  • Because Arthur and his lookalike neighbor are so physically similar, the poster and her neighbors have to be careful not to mix them up.
    — Maria Azzurra Volpe, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 Sep. 2025
  • This requires sterile environments and careful selection of the substrate.
    — Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 19 Sep. 2025
Definition of careful
Adjective
  • Vogue’s Favorite Gold Necklaces Featured in this article With an endless array of iterations—from thin, barely-there metallic strands to bolder, statement-making chains that instantly command attention—gold chain necklaces are some of the best gold jewelry pieces to add to your collection.
    — Samantha Solomon, Vogue, 18 Sep. 2025
  • Maternal health remains under-researched compared to other therapeutic areas, and the pharmaceutical pipeline is thin—just 91 compounds in development, versus thousands for areas like neurology or dermatology.
    — Shelley Stewart III, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
Definition of thin
Adjective
  • The position of elementary education among the least susceptible to poverty might be surprising, but elementary school teachers are scarce and in demand.
    — Erik Sherman, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025
  • The number of investigations is scarce not because of a lack of potential violations.
    — Max Blau, ProPublica, 16 Sep. 2025
Definition of scarce
Noun
  • Reuter followed and the officer stopped and radioed for backup.
    — Mitchell Willetts, Kansas City Star, 17 Sep. 2025
  • However, the fact that Daniels won't be practicing until Friday at the earliest could very well be an indication that backup Marcus Mariota could be starting against Las Vegas.
    — Mark Kern, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Sep. 2025
Definition of backup
Verb
  • The Resort emphasizes green lodging practices such as non-toxic cleaning supplies, linen reuse to conserve water and energy, and no bottled water in lodging units.
    — Emese Maczko, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
  • The pipeline will help conserve enough water to supply 200 new homes in the Yaqui community.
    — Debra Utacia Krol, AZCentral.com, 18 Sep. 2025
Definition of conserve

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Cite this Entry

“Spare.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spare. Accessed 22 Sep. 2025.

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More from Merriam-Webster on spare

Nglish: Translation of spare for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about spare

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