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.

The book club enjoys sparring over polarizing books, but the point is always friendship.

From Los Angeles Times • May 4, 2026

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

The singer thenducks beneath the sparring fists of boxers Xander Zayas and Emiliano Vargas.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 9, 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

Nox, who had now become her sparring and training partner, danced as well, perhaps a bit more elegantly than the others—though she still pitied the ladies who danced with him.

From "Throne of Glass" by Sarah J. Maas