spared

8 definitions • 11 examples

past simple and past participle of

to not hurt or destroy something or someone:

They asked him to spare the women and children.

to prevent someone from having to experience something unpleasant:

Luckily, I was spared the embarrassment of having to sing in front of everyone.

It was a nasty accident - but I'll spare you (= I won't tell you) the gruesome details.

to use a lot of effort, expense, etc. to do something:

[ + to infinitive ] We will spare no effort to find out who did this.

to try as hard as you can to achieve something:

She never spared herself in the pursuit of excellence.

to give time, money, or space to someone, especially when it is difficult for you:

[ + two objects ] Could you spare me £20?

I'd love to come, but I can't spare the time.

to think about someone who is in a difficult or unpleasant situation:

Spare a thought for me tomorrow, when you're lying on a beach, because I'll still be here in the office!

left over or more than you need:

If you have any woolyarn to spare when you've finished the sweater, can you make me some gloves?

I caught the plane with only two minutes to spare.

There's no time/We have no time to spare if we want to get the article written by tomorrow.