hardly spare

Frequency: 6.22.8 per million words

Used to emphasize that someone is almost unable to give any amount of something, like time or a glance.

spareADVERB + spare

Categories:

hardly

Examples (10)

  • She hardly spared him a second glance.
  • With deadlines looming, I can hardly spare five minutes for a coffee break.
  • The teacher was so busy marking papers, she hardly spared a smile for the students.
  • He was so engrossed in his book, he hardly spared a glance when I entered.
  • After working all day, she could hardly spare the energy to cook dinner.
  • The small charity can hardly spare a single penny for administrative costs.
  • They were in such a hurry, they hardly spared a polite greeting.
  • Even with a large inheritance, he hardly spared any thought for the less fortunate.
  • The manager was under so much pressure, he could hardly spare a moment to listen.
  • We've been so busy lately that we've hardly spared any time for each other.