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.

Vietnam and China have a history of sparring over the South China Sea, or the East Sea as Vietnam calls it.

From BBC • Jun. 3, 2026

“People are now using AI as a sparring partner, rather than just the internet as a research tool.”

From MarketWatch • Jun. 2, 2026

After weeks of verbal sparring, the U.S. announced that it was sending Rubio to Rome later this week.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 5, 2026

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

From BBC • Apr. 1, 2026

I learned to fight in this yard, he thought, remembering warm summer days spent sparring with Robb and Jon Snow under the watchful eyes of old Ser Rodrik.

From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin