# spare

Pronunciation: say "SPAIR" US /spɛɚ/, UK /spɛə(ɹ)/

## Adjective

1. Extra and not currently being used or needed, and therefore available for someone to use or take.
   - Simple: Extra, and not being used now, so it is free for someone to use or have.
   - _We put the guests in the spare bedroom upstairs._
   - _If there's a spare desk, the new intern can sit there._
4. Kept in reserve so it can be used in an emergency.
   - Simple: Kept ready to use if something goes wrong or is needed later.
   - _The pilot relied on a spare radio after the main one failed._
   - _Every climber carried a spare rope for the descent._
7. Austere and stripped down, with nothing extraneous included.
   - Simple: Very simple and plain, with nothing extra added.
   - _The architect favored a spare design of glass and concrete._
   - _The novel's spare prose left no room for sentimentality._
9. Scant; not abundant or plentiful.
   - Simple: Small in amount and not much of something.
   - _Through that long winter their diet was spare, mostly thin soup and a little bread._
   - _The prisoners survived on a spare diet of bread and thin soup._
10. Lean and thin; lacking flesh; meager or gaunt.
   - Simple: Thin and bony, with little fat on the body.
   - _Years of hard labor had left the old farmer spare and weathered._
   - _The portrait showed a spare man with hollow cheeks and watchful eyes._
14. Extremely angry, frustrated, or distraught. *(colloquial, UK)*
   - Simple: Very angry or upset.
   - _The whole office went spare when the project was called off._
   - _She went spare after waiting two hours for the delayed train._

## Verb

2. To choose not to harm, kill, damage, or punish someone or something; to show mercy, or to leave something unharmed or unaffected.
   - Simple: To not hurt, kill, or punish someone, even though you could, or to leave something undamaged.
   - _The judge agreed to spare the young offender a prison sentence._
   - _The general ordered his troops to spare the surrendering enemy._
5. To give or make available time, money, help, or something else that one can manage without.
   - Simple: To give someone time, money, or things because you can manage without them.
   - _The manager could spare two staff members for the weekend event._
   - _She spared an hour each evening to tutor the younger students._
6. To keep something to oneself; to refrain from giving, telling, or imparting it.
   - Simple: To hold something back from someone, like words or details you choose not to share.
   - _Spare me the long lecture and get to the point._
   - _The doctor spared the family the grimmer parts of the diagnosis._

## Noun

3. An extra item kept in reserve for use when needed or to replace another, especially a spare tire for a car.
   - Simple: An extra one that you keep in case you need it, especially an extra tire for a car.
   - _He always checks that the spare is properly inflated before a long drive._
   - _The mechanic mounted the spare and tightened each bolt in turn._
8. In bowling and similar games, the act of knocking down all the pins left standing with a later ball of a frame, which earns bonus points or another turn.
   - Simple: In bowling, knocking down all the pins still standing with your second ball of a turn.
   - _A clean spare in the tenth frame kept her score climbing._
   - _He converted a tricky spare by clipping the corner pin._
11. A period during the school day when a student has no scheduled class. *(Canada)*
   - Simple: A time at school when you do not have a class.
   - _He used his third-period spare to meet with a teacher about the project._
   - _Two seniors share a spare and usually spend it in the music room._
13. A person regarded as superfluous or second-best.
   - Simple: A person seen as extra or less important than another.
   - _Within the family, the younger son was quietly cast as the spare._
   - _She resented being the spare whenever her brilliant sister was around._
15. An assistant or extra worker, typically employed on buses and trucks. *(Myanmar)*
   - Simple: An extra worker who helps out on a bus or truck.
   - _The bus driver's spare leaned out the door, calling out the next stop._
   - _On long trips, the truck's spare loads the cargo and checks the tires at every stop._

## Verb

12. To hold back from acting; to stop or refrain. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: To stop doing something, or hold yourself back from it.

## Noun

16. A placket: a slit opening in a gown or petticoat. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: A slit or opening in a skirt or dress.

## Other meanings

- (verb) To be frugal; to live economically and avoid being lavish.
- (adjective) Careful or sparing in spending; unwilling to use more money than truly needed.
- (noun) Restraint or moderation, especially careful and economical use of something.

## Origin

**Meanings 1, 3–4, 7–11, 13–16** — This sense comes from Middle English 'spare', from Old English 'spær' ('sparing, scant'), which goes back through Proto-Germanic to a Proto-Indo-European root. It is related to Dutch 'spaarzaam', German 'sparsam', and Swedish 'sparsam'.
**Meanings 2, 5–6, 12** — This sense comes from Middle English 'sparen', from Old English 'sparian' ('to spare, show mercy, refrain from injuring'), from a Proto-Germanic root meaning 'to save, keep, spare'. It is related to Dutch 'sparen', German 'sparen', and Swedish 'spara'.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/spare (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).