sparring

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.

He has spent much of that time sparring with contractors over progress ramping up output and how they’re investing their money.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 16, 2026

We did plenty of sparring very early on in my career.

From BBC • Apr. 1, 2026

Rather, as Gerri Kimber explains in “Katherine Mansfield: A Hidden Life,” they would be known as literary sparring partners, both engaged in the high-stakes project of forging a new modernist literature.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 30, 2026

As with the comments that inspired the meme, Wickline played Tamara as someone who refused to reveal why they’re collecting a button a day, sparring defensively with “Update” co-host Michael Che.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 18, 2026

The Test was fairly simple: they were each given a sparring partner, and if they won their duel, they needn’t worry about being eliminated.

From "Throne of Glass" by Sarah J. Maas