spare
spare — adjective
1. available to be used because it exists in addition to what is normally needed, o
available to be used because it exists in addition to what is normally needed, or because no one is using it at the moment.
Charlotte keeps a spare umbrella in her office for rainy days.
collocation: spare umbrella / spare key / spare room
The hotel had a spare room, so the traveller booked it for one more night.
Do you happen to have a spare pen I could borrow for the exam?
question form: have a spare [noun]
Quan always carries a spare phone charger in his backpack when travelling.
There are three spare chairs in the storage room we can use for the party.
- spare room
- spare key
- spare umbrella
- spare battery
- spare tyre
- extra
more neutral and more common than 'spare' for quantities
- additional
more formal; focuses on being added rather than leftover
- surplus
formal; suggests more than is actually needed
- insufficient
formal; describes a shortage rather than an excess
2. describes periods when a person is free from work or obligations and can choose
describes periods when a person is free from work or obligations and can choose what to do.
In her spare time, Élise enjoys painting landscapes and portraits.
fixed phrase: in [possessive] spare time
Christopher spends most of his spare time reading fantasy novels at the library.
Layla uses her spare time on weekends to learn how to cook Thai food.
The nurses have very little spare time because they work twelve-hour shifts.
Allison filled her spare hours with volunteer work at the animal shelter.
collocation: spare hours / spare moments
- spare time
- spare hours
- spare moments
- spare evenings
- busy
describes a period filled with work or activity
Usage Note
Always modifies a time-related noun (time, hours, moments, minutes). Not used alone — you would not say 'I am spare today' to mean 'I am free.'
Common Mistakes
3. having a thin, lean body, often tall and with a build that looks healthy rather
having a thin, lean body, often tall and with a build that looks healthy rather than weak.
Rin's spare figure made the jacket hang loosely on her shoulders.
The spare frame of the old farmer moved gracefully across the field.
Jude had a spare build that helped him run the marathon in under four hours.
collocation: spare figure / spare frame / spare build
Zola's spare arms stretched up easily to reach the books on the top shelf.
- spare figure
- spare frame
- spare build
- stocky
describes a short, solid, heavy build
Usage Note
This sense is more common in descriptive writing than in everyday conversation. 'Lean' or 'slim' are more frequent alternatives in spoken English.
4. having a simple style with very little decoration, detail, or extra elements.
having a simple style with very little decoration, detail, or extra elements.
The spare white walls of the gallery gave the paintings more attention.
Defne prefers a spare style of furniture with clean, straight lines.
collocation: spare style
The artist's spare drawings use only a few black lines on white paper.
Nellie decorated the apartment in a spare, modern style she found online.
- spare style
- spare decor
- spare design
- spare prose
- plain
more common; can describe anything without decoration
- minimalist
modern; describes a deliberate design choice using very few elements
- austere
formal; can suggest uncomfortably severe simplicity
- ornate
describes something with a lot of decoration and detail
Usage Note
Common in descriptions of art, design, and architecture. Usually carries a positive connotation of elegant simplicity rather than bareness.
go spare
idiomto become extremely angry, worried, or upset about something, especially in British English.
Mum went spare when she saw the kitchen floor covered in flour and egg.
The team manager went spare after the players missed yet another deadline.
spare — verb
1. to choose not to injure, punish, or destroy someone or something when you have t
to choose not to injure, punish, or destroy someone or something when you have the power or opportunity to do so.
The king spared the prisoner's life after hearing his final request.
passive possible: be spared by
During the fire, the flames spared the old oak tree in the garden.
The judge spared the young driver a prison sentence because it was his first offence.
double-object pattern: spare [person] [thing]
The soldiers spared the village and moved on without causing any damage.
The floods spared the school but destroyed several houses nearby.
- spare a life
- spare a building
- spare someone a punishment
- pardon
similar but only for punishment, not for destruction
- forgive
focuses on letting go of anger rather than refraining from action
- show mercy to
more descriptive; emphasises compassion
Grammar Patterns
spare + noun
spare + noun + from
Usage Note
Often used in contexts of warfare, justice, or disasters. The double-object construction (spare someone something) is very common here, e.g. 'spare him the details.'
Common Mistakes
2. to keep someone from enduring a hard, painful, or embarrassing event that would
to keep someone from enduring a hard, painful, or embarrassing event that would otherwise happen.
Ritu spared her little brother the trouble of waiting in the rain.
pattern: spare [person] the [unpleasant thing]
The teacher spared the class the long summary of the boring report.
Christopher's quick thinking spared everyone a long delay at the airport.
Charlotte spared her parents the worry by calling them right away.
The neighbours spared us the trouble of cooking by bringing dinner over.
pattern: spare [person] the trouble of [gerund]
- spare someone the trouble
- spare someone the details
- spare someone the worry
- subject to
means to cause someone to experience something unpleasant
Grammar Patterns
spare + someone + noun
spare + someone + gerund
Usage Note
Frequently used with 'the trouble of', 'the details of', 'the need to' or abstract nouns like 'worry', 'embarrassment', 'effort'.
Common Mistakes
3. to use as much effort, money, or other resources as needed to achieve something,
to use as much effort, money, or other resources as needed to achieve something, without limiting yourself.
The team spared no effort in preparing the garden for the annual competition.
fixed expression: spare no effort/expense
Sivan's parents spared no expense when planning the wedding reception.
The hospital spared no resources to save the injured child in the emergency room.
Christopher spared no effort to make sure every guest felt welcome at the party.
- spare no effort
- spare no expense
- spare no pains
- spare no resources
- give one's all
informal; focuses on personal energy rather than money
Grammar Patterns
spare no + effort/expense/pains
Usage Note
Used almost exclusively in the fixed pattern 'spare no + noun'. The noun is typically an uncountable abstract resource (effort, expense, cost, trouble, pains).
Common Mistakes
4. to put all of your energy into what you are doing, without considering your own
to put all of your energy into what you are doing, without considering your own comfort, limits, or well-being.
Nurse Yasmin never spared herself during the long night shifts at the hospital.
fixed expression: not spare oneself
The coach did not spare himself while training the team for the final match.
Antonia did not spare herself while caring for her sick mother at home.
The volunteers spared neither time nor effort when the flood hit the town.
variation: spare neither X nor Y
- not spare oneself
- spare no effort
- spare neither time nor money
- give everything
less formal; has the same meaning of full commitment
- hold back
means to deliberately use less effort than you could
Grammar Patterns
not spare + oneself
Usage Note
Almost always appears in the negative: 'not spare oneself' or 'spare no effort on oneself'. The positive form ('spare oneself') would mean to hold back, which is rare.
Common Mistakes
5. to give someone something such as time, money, food, or space, especially when y
to give someone something such as time, money, food, or space, especially when you do not have a lot of it yourself.
Could you spare me five minutes to talk about the project proposal?
common polite request: spare + me + time
Mateo spared some money from his salary to help his cousin pay rent.
Rachel spared a seat on the bus for the elderly woman with a walking stick.
pattern: spare + noun + for + person
The neighbours spared some food for the family whose kitchen had burned down.
Noa spared a moment to sign the birthday card before running out of the door.
- spare time
- spare money
- spare a moment
- spare a seat
- spare some change
Grammar Patterns
spare + someone + something
spare + something + for + someone
Usage Note
Common in polite requests ('Can you spare a moment?', 'Could you spare me some change?'). The object can be the thing given (direct) or the recipient (indirect) in the double-object pattern.
Common Mistakes
6. to take a moment to think about a person who faces hardship, as a way of express
to take a moment to think about a person who faces hardship, as a way of expressing compassion or concern.
Please spare a thought for the nurses working through the holiday weekend.
fixed expression: spare a thought for
Rin spared a thought for her friend who was taking the difficult exam that morning.
As you enjoy your dinner, spare a thought for the farmers who grew the food.
Layla spared a thought for the homeless animals on the cold winter night.
Sana asked everyone to spare a thought for the families who lost their homes.
- spare a thought for
- spare a moment to think about
- think of
more general; 'spare a thought for' implies an extra effort to remember someone in difficulty
Grammar Patterns
spare + a thought + for + noun
Usage Note
Used in the fixed expression 'spare a thought for + someone'. It is a set phrase and does not take alternative wordings like 'spare thoughts for' or 'spare some thought'.
Common Mistakes
7. left after you have used what you need; still available after everything necessa
left after you have used what you need; still available after everything necessary has been dealt with.
We finished the project with two days to spare before the deadline arrived.
pattern: with [amount] to spare
Jude had ten minutes to spare, so he stopped for a coffee on the way.
The train arrived at the station with just enough time to spare.
After paying all the bills, she had very little money to spare that month.
- time to spare
- money to spare
- room to spare
- energy to spare
- short of
means not having enough
Grammar Patterns
have + noun phrase + to spare
Usage Note
This sense only works in the pattern 'have [noun phrase] to spare' or 'with [noun phrase] to spare'. The phrase always follows the noun it describes — you cannot reorder it to 'spare time' (which would be the adjective sense).
Common Mistakes
spare — noun
1. an extra copy or piece of something that you keep so that you can use it when th
an extra copy or piece of something that you keep so that you can use it when the original one is lost, broken, or worn out.
Hoa keeps a spare of her house key at her sister's apartment across town.
collocation: keep a spare
The mechanic checked the car's spares before the long road trip began.
plural: spares
Quan always carries a spare for his glasses in case the frame breaks.
The shop at the corner sells spares for most kitchen appliances and tools.
- keep a spare
- carry a spare
- spare part
- spare key
Usage Note
Often used as a countable noun. In British English, 'spare' alone can refer to any spare item, while in American English 'spare part' is more common for mechanical items.
2. a new component that replaces an old, broken, or worn-out part in a vehicle, mac
a new component that replaces an old, broken, or worn-out part in a vehicle, machine, or piece of equipment.
The garage orders spare parts directly from the car manufacturer in Germany.
collocation: spare parts
Charlotte bought a spare for her bike's broken chain at the local shop.
The factory stores spare parts for all its machines in the basement room.
Yasmin could not find a spare for the old washing machine motor anywhere.
- spare part
- spare parts shop
- order spare parts
- replace a spare
- replacement part
more formal; used in technical documentation
- component
formal; any part of a machine, not necessarily a spare
Usage Note
Primarily used in the context of vehicles, machinery, and electronics. 'Spare part' is more explicit than 'spare' and preferred in technical or commercial contexts.
Word family
- sparingadjectiveC1
- sparinglyadverbC1
- unsparingadjectiveC2
- sparelyadverbC2
Synonym discussion
Sense: adjective/1
All five words relate to having more than what is needed, but they differ in scope and typical use. 'Extra' is the most versatile and neutral — it works in almost any context ('an extra chair', 'extra money'). 'Additional' is more formal and emphasises adding to an existing amount ('additional charges apply'). 'Surplus' is formal and often used in business or economic contexts, suggesting more than necessary ('surplus stock'). 'Leftover' specifically refers to what remains after use — common with food ('leftover pizza') but rarer with objects. 'Reserve' implies something deliberately kept for future need ('reserve tank of fuel'), carrying a stronger sense of planned storage than 'spare'. For everyday objects you keep as backups (keys, tyres, batteries), 'spare' is the most natural choice.
Common collocations
Etymology
From Old English 'sparian' meaning to refrain from harming, to be lenient, or to leave unharmed. This root is related to Old High German 'sparon' (to spare, to save) and Old Norse 'spara' (to spare, to save). The sense of 'extra' or 'surplus' developed around the 1500s, moving from the idea of 'saved from use' to 'available for use'. The adjective sense of 'thin, lean' emerged in the 1700s, perhaps based on the idea of a frugal or minimal physique.