Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Showing results for in spades. Search instead for in+spades.
Synonyms

in spades

Idioms  

  1. Considerably, in the extreme; also, without restraint. For example, They were having money problems, in spades, or Jan told him what he really thought of him, in spades. This expression alludes to spades as the highest-ranking suit in various card games, such as bridge, and transfers “highest” to other extremes. [Colloquial; 1920s]

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Ollie Chessum, brought in for his heft, delivered in spades, scoring two tries, laying on a deft pass for Alex Coles' score and clanging about in close combat.

From BBC • Mar. 14, 2026

That takes creativity, intelligence and gumption, and I’m sure your grandfather has those in spades.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 24, 2026

Many US refineries were designed, and are still geared, specifically for processing the kind of heavy crude Venezuela has in spades.

From Barron's • Dec. 22, 2025

Martina had those traits in spades — as well as the diplomatic skills to negotiate a peace between feuding clubs that had brought competition in the island’s local league to a halt.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 9, 2025

They were too much for him—too literary and intellectual, too clever in spades.

From "Charles and Emma: The Darwins' Leap of Faith" by Deborah Heiligman

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.