spare
To show mercy, to have mercy onTo 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.
Recorded UK: Speaker: Vealhurl Recorder: Vealhurl, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons · Recorded US: Dvortygirl, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
» Can you spare me a few minutes?
Haben Sie ein paar Minuten Zeit für mich? — enteka
Hast du ein paar Minuten Zeit für mich? — Pfirsichbaeumchen
Habt ihr ein paar Minuten Zeit für mich? — Pfirsichbaeumchen
Можете уделить мне несколько минут? — Balamax
Можешь уделить мне несколько минут? — Balamax
Можеш приділити мені кілька хвилин? — deniko
Можете приділити мені кілька хвилин? — deniko
CK · Tatoeba · CC BY 2.0 FRTranslations
8 languagesBy meaning 1
By meaning 2
By meaning 1
Examples
291 sentencesCan you spare me a few minutes?
Можеш приділити мені кілька хвилин? — deniko
ruМожете уделить мне несколько минут? — Balamax
deHaben Sie ein paar Minuten Zeit für mich? — enteka
Could you spare me a few minutes?
Можеш виділити мені кілька хвилин? — deniko
ruВы не могли бы уделить мне несколько минут? — marafon
deHättest du ein paar Minuten für mich? — driini
I can spare you just 10 minutes.
Я можу приділити тобі лише 10 хвилин. — deniko
ruЯ могу уделить тебе только десять минут. — marafon
deIch kann dir nur 10 Minuten widmen. — nexx
Meaning
8 sensesTo show mercy, to have mercy on.
(transitive)To preserve (someone) from danger or punishment; to forbear to punish, injure, or harm (someone); to show mercy towards.
sparen
щади́тьščadítʹ, ми́ловатьmílovatʹ, пощади́тьpoščadítʹ
To keep.
(transitive)To save or gain, as by frugality; to reserve, as from some occupation, use, or duty.
sparen
жале́тьžalétʹ
шкодува́тиškoduváty
(transitive)To keep to oneself; to forbear to impart or give.
More meanings 5
To show mercy, to have mercy on.
(intransitive)To desist; to stop; to refrain.
(intransitive)To refrain from inflicting harm; to use mercy or forbearance.
To preserve (someone) from danger or punishment; to forbear to punish, injure, or harm (someone); to show mercy towards.
(specifically, transitive)To refrain from killing (someone) or having (someone) killed.
To keep.
(intransitive)To be frugal; to not be profuse; to live frugally; to be parsimonious.
sparen
(transitive)(to give up): To deprive oneself of, as by being frugal; to do without; to dispense with; to give up; to part with.
- refrain from harming
- save or relieve from an experience or action
- give up what is not strictly needed
- use frugally or carefully
Origin
From Middle English sparen, sparien, from Old English sparian (“to spare, show mercy to, rFrom 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”).
Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Forms
spares, sparing, spared, sparedTenses
spare · spared · will spare · have sparedSynonyms
4 synonyms- refrain from harming:save
- give up what is not strictly needed:give uppart withdispense with
Word family
5 related wordsLessons for this word
3 lessons- A1Present simple — Because it is a verb
- A1Past simple, regular verbs — Because of its past form
- A2Present perfect: introduction — Because of its past participle
See also
neighbours in the dictionaryDictionary text adapted from Wiktionary (Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0) and Open English WordNet / Princeton WordNet (CC BY 4.0, WordNet License); shared under CC BY-SA 4.0. Example sentences and recordings are credited where they appear.