Avert vs. Spare — What's the Difference?
Difference Between Avert and Spare
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Avert
To turn away
Avert one's eyes.
Spare
To refrain from harming, injuring, destroying, or killing
The general spared the city from a bombardment.
Avert
To keep from happening; prevent
Averted an accident by turning sharply.
Spare
To leave undamaged or unharmed
The oldest trees in the forest were spared from the fire.
Avert
(transitive) To turn aside or away.
I averted my eyes while my friend typed in her password.
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Spare
To refrain from denouncing or distressing; treat leniently or with consideration
The teacher spared the student's feelings by not criticizing her.
Avert
(transitive) To ward off, or prevent, the occurrence or effects of.
How can the danger be averted?
Spare
To allow (someone) to avoid experiencing or doing (something)
Spared myself the trouble of going to the store.
Avert
To turn away.
Spare
To hold back from; withhold or avoid
Spared no expense for the celebration.
Avert
To turn aside, or away; as, to avert the eyes from an object; to ward off, or prevent, the occurrence or effects of; as, how can the danger be averted? "To avert his ire."
When atheists and profane persons do hear of so many discordant and contrary opinions in religion, it doth avert them from the church.
Till ardent prayer averts the public woe.
Spare
To use or supply with restraint
Don't spare the mustard.
Avert
To turn away.
Cold and averting from our neighbor's good.
Spare
To give or grant out of one's resources; afford
Can you spare ten minutes?.
Avert
Prevent the occurrence of; prevent from happening;
Let's avoid a confrontation
Head off a confrontation
Avert a strike
Spare
Kept in reserve
Spare parts.
Avert
Turn away or aside;
They averted their eyes when the King entered
Spare
Being in excess of what is needed; extra
Spare cash.
Spare
Free for other use; unoccupied
Spare time.
Spare
Not lavish, abundant, or excessive; meager
A spare breakfast.
Spare
Lean and trim
A runner with a spare figure.
Spare
Not elaborate or ornate; simple
A writer's spare style.
Spare
A replacement, especially a tire, reserved for future need.
Spare
The act of knocking down all ten pins with two successive rolls of a bowling ball.
Spare
The score so made.
Spare
Scant; not abundant or plentiful.
A spare diet
Spare
Sparing; frugal; parsimonious; not spending much money.
Spare
Being more than what is necessary, or what must be used or reserved; not wanted, or not used; superfluous.
I have no spare time.
Spare
Held in reserve, to be used in an emergency.
A spare anchor; a spare wheel or tyre
Spare
Not occupied or in current use.
We could rent out the spare room.
Spare
Lean; lacking flesh; meager; thin; gaunt.
Spare
Very angry; frustrated or distraught.
When he found out that someone had broken the window, he went spare.
The poor girl is going spare, stuck in the house all day with the kids like that.
Spare
The act of sparing; moderation; restraint.
Spare
Parsimony; frugal use.
Spare
An opening in a petticoat or gown; a placket.
Spare
That which has not been used or expended.
Spare
A spare part, especially a spare tire.
Spare
A superfluous or second-best person.
Spare
(bowling) The right of bowling again at a full set of pins, after having knocked all the pins down in less than three bowls. If all the pins are knocked down in one bowl it is a double spare; in two bowls, a single spare.
Spare
(bowling) The act of knocking down all remaining pins in second ball of a frame; this entitles the pins knocked down on the next ball to be added to the score for that frame.
Spare
(Canada) A free period; a block of school during which one does not have a class.
Spare
(Myanmar) assistant or extra hand typically on buses and lorries
Spare
To show mercy.
Spare
(intransitive) To desist; to stop; to refrain.
Spare
(intransitive) To refrain from inflicting harm; to use mercy or forbearance.
Spare
(transitive) To preserve (someone) from danger or punishment; to forbear to punish, injure, or harm (someone); to show mercy towards.
Spare
To keep.
Spare
(intransitive) To be frugal; to not be profuse; to live frugally; to be parsimonious.
Spare
(transitive) To keep to oneself; to forbear to impart or give.
Spare
(transitive) To save or gain, as by frugality; to reserve, as from some occupation, use, or duty.
Spare
(transitive) to give up To deprive oneself of, as by being frugal; to do without; to dispense with; to give up; to part with.
Spare
To use frugally or stintingly, as that which is scarce or valuable; to retain or keep unused; to save.
[Thou] thy Father's dreadful thunder didst not spare.
He that hath knowledge, spareth his words.
Spare
To keep to one's self; to forbear to impart or give.
Be pleased your plitics to spare.
Spare my sight the painOf seeing what a world of tears it costs you.
Spare
To preserve from danger or punishment; to forbear to punish, injure, or harm; to show mercy to.
Spare us, good Lord.
Dim sadness did not spareThat time celestial visages.
Man alone can whom he conquers spare.
Spare
To save or gain, as by frugality; to reserve, as from some occupation, use, or duty.
All the time he could spare from the necessary cares of his weighty charge, he estowed on . . . serving of God.
Spare
To deprive one's self of, as by being frugal; to do without; to dispense with; to give up; to part with.
Where angry Jove did never spareOne breath of kind and temperate air.
I could have better spared a better man.
Her thought that a lady should her spare.
Spare
To be frugal; not to be profuse; to live frugally; to be parsimonious.
I, who at some times spend, at others spare,Divided between carelessness and care.
Spare
To refrain from inflicting harm; to use mercy or forbearance.
He will not spare in the day of vengeance.
Spare
To desist; to stop; to refrain.
Spare
Scanty; not abundant or plentiful; as, a spare diet.
Spare
Sparing; frugal; parsimonious; chary.
He was spare, but discreet of speech.
Spare
Being over and above what is necessary, or what must be used or reserved; not wanted, or not used; superfluous; as, I have no spare time.
If that no spare clothes he had to give.
Spare
Held in reserve, to be used in an emergency; as, a spare anchor; a spare bed or room.
Spare
Lean; wanting flesh; meager; thin; gaunt.
O, give me the spare men, and spare me the great ones.
Spare
Slow.
Spare
The act of sparing; moderation; restraint.
Killing for sacrifice, without any spare.
Spare
Parsimony; frugal use.
Poured out their plenty without spite or spare.
Spare
An opening in a petticoat or gown; a placket.
Spare
That which has not been used or expended.
Spare
The right of bowling again at a full set of pins, after having knocked all the pins down in less than three bowls. If all the pins are knocked down in one bowl it is a double spare; in two bowls, a single spare. For the meaning in modern bowling, see sense 6.
Spare
The act of knocking down all ten pins in two bowls, which entitles the bowler to add the number of pins knocked down in the next bowl to the score for the frame in which the spare occurred.
Spare
An extra component of a machine or other apparatus
Spare
An extra car wheel and tire for a four-wheel vehicle
Spare
A score in tenpins; knocking down all ten after rolling two balls
Spare
Refrain from harming
Spare
Save or relieve from an experience or action;
I'll spare you from having to apologize formally
Spare
Give up what is not strictly needed;
He asked if they could spare one of their horses to speed his journey
Spare
Use frugally or carefully
Spare
Thin and fit;
The spare figure of a marathon runner
A body kept trim by exercise
Spare
More than is needed, desired, or required;
Trying to lose excess weight
Found some extra change lying on the dresser
Yet another book on heraldry might be thought redundant
Skills made redundant by technological advance
Sleeping in the spare room
Supernumerary ornamentation
It was supererogatory of her to gloat
Delete superfluous (or unnecessary) words
Extra ribs as well as other supernumerary internal parts
Surplus cheese distributed to the needy
Spare
Just sufficient;
The library had a spare but efficient look
Spare
Not taken up by scheduled activities;
A free hour between classes
Spare time on my hands
Spare
Kept in reserve especially for emergency use;
A reserve supply of food
A spare tire
Spare parts
Spare
Lacking in amplitude or quantity;
A bare livelihood
A scanty harvest
A spare diet
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