Meaning & use
spare parts
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“spare parts” is a form of “spare part”.
Meanings
nounplural
Extra parts kept ready to replace ones in a machine or vehicle that wear out or break.
Grammar: Plural: the spare parts are in the cupboard.
Patterns
- spare parts for something
- order spare parts
The garage had to order spare parts for the old tractor.
Keep a few spare parts in the van in case of a breakdown.
The company sells spare parts for washing machines long after the models are discontinued.
nounpluralinformaldisapproving
Human organs or body parts that could be used for transplants, in informal and often disapproving contexts.
Grammar: Figurative and informal: treating patients as spare parts.
Patterns
- treat someone as spare parts
Critics warned that the clinic treated donors like spare parts.
In the film, the clones are bred as spare parts for rich clients.
Word forms
| singular | spare part |
|---|
Common combinations
- order spare parts
- We ordered spare parts online.
- stock spare parts
- The shop stocks spare parts for most bikes.
- a shortage of spare parts
- A shortage of spare parts delayed the repair.
- spare parts supplier
- The spare parts supplier ships within two days.
- run out of spare parts
- The team ran out of spare parts mid-season.
Synonyms and how they differ
- replacement parts
- Replacement parts is the usual American phrase and is equally neutral, but stresses that the part replaces a broken one.
- spares
- Spares is a shorter, more casual British word often used in workshops.
- components
- Components covers any parts of a machine, new or old, and does not imply they are extras.
- fittings
- Fittings suggests small attachments such as pipes or joints, not the major working parts.
Word family
Commonly confused: spare parts or spear parts?
spare parts vs spear parts
Spear parts is just a misspelling; the correct word is spare with an a.
Practice
The old bus kept breaking down because the owner could no longer find ____ for the engine.
Choose one answer.
Spare parts is the fixed plural noun phrase. The other forms are not grammatical collocations.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “spare parts”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.