spare
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Pronunciation: enpr: spâr
ipa: /spɛə(ɹ)/
enpr: spâr
ipa: /spɛɚ/
ipa: /speː/
note: without the cheer–chair merger
ipa: /speə/
note: New Zealand, cheer–chair merger
ipa: /spiə/
ipa: /speɹ/
note: Lancashire, fair–fur merger
ipa: /spɜː(ɹ)/
homophone: spear (cheer–chair merger)
homophone: spur (fair–fur merger)
rhymes: -ɛə(ɹ)
Forms: form: spares
form: sparing
form: spared
form: spared
form: no-table-tags
form: glossary
form: spare
form: spare
form: spared
form: spare
form: sparest
form: spared
form: sparedst
form: spares
form: spareth
form: spared
form: spare
form: spared
form: spare
form: spared
form: spare
form: -
form: sparing
form: spared
Etymology: From Middle English sparen, sparien, from Old English sparian (“to spare, show mercy to, refrain from injuring or destroying”), from Proto-Germanic *sparōną, *sparāną (“to save, keep, spare”), from Proto-Indo-European *sper- (“to be productive, earn”).
Cognate with Scots spar, spare, spair (“to spare”), West Frisian sparje (“to save, spare”), Dutch sparen (“to save, spare”), German sparen (“to save, conserve, economise”), Swedish spara (“to save, save up”), Icelandic spara (“to save, conserve”).
Senses: glosses: To show mercy, to have mercy on.
To desist; to stop; to refrain.
glosses: To show mercy, to have mercy on.
To refrain from inflicting harm; to use mercy or forbearance.
examples: text: For jealousy is the rage of a man: therefore he will not spare in the day of vengeance.
ref: 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Proverbs 6:34:
text: Cologne Hauptbahnhof is reached in the small hours, and the traveller new to postwar Germany is spared the sight of the devastated city.
ref: 1949 September and October, “The "Nord Express"”, in Railway Magazine, page 336:
glosses: To show mercy, to have mercy on.
To preserve (someone) from danger or punishment; to forbear to punish, injure, or harm (someone); to show mercy towards.
examples: text: Kill me, if you please, or spare me.
ref: 1881–1882, Robert Louis Stevenson, Treasure Island, London; Paris: Cassell & Company, published 14 November 1883, →OCLC:
text: Reggie Clemons has one last chance to save his life. After 19 years on death row in Missouri for the murder of two young women, he has been granted a final opportunity to persuade a judge that he should be spared execution by lethal injection.
ref: 2012 August 21, Ed Pilkington, “Death penalty on trial: should Reggie Clemons live or die?”, in The Guardian:
text: In April of 2009, however, the disease was found to suddenly no longer be appearing in newly-hatched chickens, and, upon review, it was discovered that Dr. Wildcat had modified 6002 without authorization, removing the disease from the genome. She's detained and questioned by Muller, and, even though she tries to lie that she didn't do anything, they have footage of her ascending the tree on her own. Muller tells her that she can't just take it upon herself to decide what's best, as who knows what would've happened if she had made a mistake. She proceeds to cuss him out, and he gives her a choice, telling her that if she apologizes now, he'll put in a good word for her with the O5 Council, which might spare her. She's silent for a moment, but does end up apologizing.
ref: 2021 August 16, “Exploring the SCP Foundation: SCP-6002 - All Creatures Great and Small” (19:06 from the start), in The Exploring Series, archived from the original on 10 Jan 2023:
glosses: To show mercy, to have mercy on.
To preserve (someone) from danger or punishment; to forbear to punish, injure, or harm (someone); to show mercy towards.
To refrain from killing (someone) or having (someone) killed.
examples: text: I, who at some times spend, at others spare, / Divided between carelessness and care.
ref: 1737, Alexander Pope, The Second Epistle of the Second Book of Horace, Imitated by Mr. Pope:
glosses: To keep.
To be frugal; to not be profuse; to live frugally; to be parsimonious.
examples: text: Thou that day / Thy Father's dreadful thunder didst not spare
ref: 1667, John Milton, “Book III”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC:
text: He that hath knowledge, spareth his words: and a man of understanding is of an excellent spirit.
ref: 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Proverbs 17:27:
glosses: To keep.
To keep to oneself; to forbear to impart or give.
examples: text: All the time he could spare from the necessary cares of his weighty charge, from assaults, and the naturall refreshing of his body, be bestowed in praier and seruing of God
ref: 1610, Richard Knolles, The Generall Historie of the Turkes, from the First Beginning of that Nation, page 580:
glosses: To keep.
To save or gain, as by frugality; to reserve, as from some occupation, use, or duty.
examples: text: Where angry Jove did never spare / One breath of kind and temperate air.
ref: a. 1779, Earl of Roscommon, “The Twenty-second Ode of the First Book of Horace”
text: Poor Jack, farewell! / I could have better spared a better man
ref: c. 1597 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The First Part of Henry the Fourth, […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene iv]:
text: Not unnaturally, “Auntie” took this communication in bad part.[…]Next day she[…]tried to recover her ward by the hair of the head. Then, thwarted, the wretched creature went to the police for help; she was versed in the law, and perhaps had spared no pains to keep on good terms with the local constabulary.
ref: 1918, W[illiam] B[abington] Maxwell, chapter XLIV, in The Mirror and the Lamp, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC, page 361:
text: At Southall, we believe, it has been difficult to spare men from an understaffed motive power establishment to undergo non revenue-earning training on the diesel multiple-units, because crews are scarce for trip freight working.
ref: 1960 April, “Talking of Trains: The present difficulties”, in Trains Illustrated, page 193:
glosses: (to give up): To deprive oneself of, as by being frugal; to do without; to dispense with; to give up; to part with.
Derived terms: don't spare the horses
spare no effort
spare no expense
spare someone's blushes
spare someone the details
spare the rod and spoil the child
to spare