ENGLISH
REFERENCE

spared

v.
B2 Upper Intermediate US //ˈspɛɹd// UK //spˈeəd// spared

v. to prevent someone from experiencing something unpleasant or painful. You use this when you save someone from a difficult situation or let them avoid a punishment.

v. to refrain from inflicting harm, punishment, or an unpleasant experience upon someone. Often used in the passive voice to indicate that a person was exempt from a general misfortune.


SIMPLE

The judge spared him from going to prison.

CONTEXTUAL

Luckily, the coastal town was spared from the worst effects of the hurricane as the storm moved inland.

COMPLEX

By making the decision early, the manager spared the team the stress of working through the weekend on a project that was ultimately cancelled.

Synonyms
Usage

The verb is transitive and often takes two objects ('spared him the trouble') or is followed by the preposition 'from'.

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