spare

Available in addition to what is being used or needed.

• Do you have a spare pen?
• Guests sleep in the spare room.
• I keep spare batteries in my bag.

Similar words: extra, additional

Common phrases: spare key, spare room, spare parts, spare wheel

Available for your own activities because you do not have to work or do other duties.

• I read in my spare time.
• She spent a spare afternoon painting.
• Do you have a spare moment to talk?

Similar words: free, available

Common phrases: spare time, spare moment, spare afternoon

Describing small amounts of money you can give or spend without needing them yourself.

• Have you got any spare change?
• He put his spare change in a jar.
• She donated some spare cash to the shelter.

Similar words: extra

Common phrases: spare change, spare cash

Simple, with very little furniture, decoration, or detail.

• The design is spare and elegant.
• Her writing has a spare style.
• The room looked spare, with just a bed and chair.

Similar words: plain, minimal

Opposites: ornate

Common phrases: spare design, spare room, spare style

Tall and thin in body shape.

• He was a spare man with grey hair.
• Her spare figure stood in the doorway.
• Age had made his once strong frame spare.

Similar words: lean, thin

Common phrases: spare figure, spare frame, spare man

To give someone some time, money, or another thing you can manage without.

• Can you spare a minute?
• She spared me some money for lunch.
• We cannot spare anyone to help today.

How to use it: spare someone something (Can you spare me a few minutes?); spare something for someone/something (Could you spare some money for the shelter?)

Similar words: give, provide

Common phrases: spare some time, spare someone something, spare a minute

To have more time, money, or other things than you need.

• We have money to spare.
• She arrived with five minutes to spare.
• There is room to spare in the car.

How to use it: have something to spare (We have plenty of food to spare.); with something to spare (He finished with ten minutes to spare.)

Similar words: have left over

Common phrases: time to spare, money to spare, room to spare

To prevent someone from having an unpleasant experience.

• Please spare me the details.
• His quick reply spared us a wasted journey.
• She was spared the embarrassment of explaining her mistake.

How to use it: spare someone something (I wanted to spare her the worry.); spare someone from something (The shortcut spared us from a long walk.)

Similar words: save

Common phrases: spare someone something, spare someone the trouble