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# spare

«spare» in Mova's school dictionary: **needed, not being used now: a spare key, a spare tyre** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 5 sentences of Mova's corpora that use it.

### part of speech

adjective (spare); verb (spare, spares, spared, sparing); noun (a spare, spares)

### meaning for a pupil

1) Spare means extra, kept in case it is needed, not being used now: a spare key, a spare tyre. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/spare/#m1)

2) Spare time is free time when you are not working. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/spare/#m2)

3) To spare is to give something you do not need: «can you spare a pencil?». [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/spare/#m3)

4) To spare someone is to not hurt them, or to save them from something. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/spare/#m4)

5) «To spare» means left over: «we got there with ten minutes to spare». [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/spare/#m5)

6) Spare no expense means to spend as much money as is needed, without holding back. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/spare/#m6)

### sense in the lessons

extra things beyond those needed; the left over; in everyday life: spare clothes in your bag, a spare key with a neighbour, spare batteries; in stories: the king spared the dragon's life; phrases: «spare time», «to spare», «spare room», «spare no effort»

### examples

- He has 2 spare tyres. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/spare/#x1)
- Each child needs 1 pencil and 5 are spare. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/spare/#x2)
- Can you spare 3 apples? [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/spare/#x3)
- How many spare seats are there? [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/spare/#x4)
- Pack a spare pair of socks for the camp. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/spare/#x5)
- What do you do in your spare time? [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/spare/#x6)
- We reached the station with five minutes to spare. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/spare/#x7)
- The knight spared the dragon's life. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/spare/#x8)
- Our neighbour keeps a spare key for us. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/spare/#x9)
- We don't want any expense spared. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/spare/#x10)

### note

Spare = what is left over after use: total − used. «With 5 minutes to spare» means 5 minutes left before the time. «Spare» as a verb with «can you…» is a polite way to ask for something.

### In the corpora

- [Live shows often have small disasters, so teams keep safety pins, tape and spare costumes ready.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/arts/28-the-school-play-auditions-lines-stage-fright/9/)
- [Agoutis open hard Brazil nut pods and bury spare seeds, and the forgotten seeds grow into new Brazil nut trees.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/biology/157-the-amazon-forest-floor/15/)
- [A "white lie" is a harmless lie told to spare someone's feelings.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/euphemisms/28-stealing-and-lying/16/)
- [A white lie is a small kind lie to spare feelings, such as praising a present you do not like.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/euphemisms/41-olympiad-euphemism-detective/24/)
- [Burglars check under doormats, so the hiding place of a spare key is kept secret.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/116-home-alone-keys-and-garden-play/8/)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every meaning and example of «spare» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/spare/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.