spare
spare is a 5-letter English word with 32 senses as adjective, intransitive verb, transitive verb, noun, and verb in the JumbleFix dictionary. One common meaning is: To use frugally or stintingly, as that which is scarce or valuable; to retain or keep unused; to save. Face value is 7 in Scrabble and 8 in Words With Friends. Use the entries below when you need a playable sense, a nearby word, or another arrangement of the same letters.
Definitions
- adjective. To use frugally or stintingly, as that which is scarce or valuable; to retain or keep unused; to save.
- adjective. To keep to one's self; to forbear to impart or give.
- adjective. To preserve from danger or punishment; to forbear to punish, injure, or harm; to show mercy to.
- adjective. To save or gain, as by frugality; to reserve, as from some occupation, use, or duty.
- adjective. To deprive one's self of, as by being frugal; to do without; to dispense with; to give up; to part with.
- intransitive verb. To be frugal; not to be profuse; to live frugally; to be parsimonious.
- intransitive verb. To refrain from inflicting harm; to use mercy or forbearance.
- intransitive verb. To desist; to stop; to refrain.
- transitive verb. Scanty; not abundant or plentiful; as, a spare diet.
- transitive verb. Sparing; frugal; parsimonious; chary.
- transitive verb. Being over and above what is necessary, or what must be used or reserved; not wanted, or not used; superfluous; as, I have no spare time.
- transitive verb. Held in reserve, to be used in an emergency; as, a spare anchor; a spare bed or room.
- transitive verb. Lean; wanting flesh; meager; thin; gaunt.
- transitive verb. Slow.
- noun. The act of sparing; moderation; restraint.
- noun. Parsimony; frugal use.
- noun. An opening in a petticoat or gown; a placket.
- noun. That which has not been used or expended.
- noun. The right of bowling again at a full set of pins, after having knocked all the pins down in less than three bowls. If all the pins are knocked down in one bowl it is a double spare; in two bowls, a single spare.
- noun. a score in tenpins; knocking down all ten after rolling two balls
- noun. an extra car wheel and tire for a four-wheel vehicle
- noun. an extra component of a machine or other apparatus
- verb. use frugally or carefully
- verb. give up what is not strictly needed
"he asked if they could spare one of their horses to speed his journey"
- verb. refrain from harming
- verb. save or relieve from an experience or action
"I'll spare you from having to apologize formally"
- adjective. lacking embellishment or ornamentation
"a plain hair style"
"unembellished white walls"
- adjective. lacking in amplitude or quantity
"a bare livelihood"
"a scanty harvest"
- adjective. thin and fit
"the spare figure of a marathon runner"
"a body kept trim by exercise"
- adjective. more than is needed, desired, or required
"trying to lose excess weight"
"found some extra change lying on the dresser"
- adjective. kept in reserve especially for emergency use
"a reserve supply of food"
"a spare tire"
- adjective. not taken up by scheduled activities
"a free hour between classes"
"spare time on my hands"
Synonyms
save, bare, plain, unembellished, unornamented, scanty, trim, excess, extra, redundant, supererogatory, superfluous, supernumerary, surplus, free
Anagrams
Other playable words that use exactly the letters in spare:
apers, apres, asper, pares, parse, pears, prase, presa, rapes, reaps, repas, spaer, spear
Common word forms
spared, sparer, spares, sparely, sparest, sparing, spareful, spareable, spareless, spareness
Words from these letters
If you are holding these tiles, the unscrambler for SPARE lists every valid word you can make from the same letters, including shorter plays.