sparred

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.

A former world kickboxing champion who came to the Palisades from the Florida Panhandle in 1982, Blanck has sparred with boxing champion Sugar Ray Leonard and trained actors Tom Hanks and Steve Guttenberg.

From Los Angeles Times • May 12, 2026

Elon Musk sparred with lawyers for a third day Thursday at his California trial against OpenAI, struggling to explain why his own for-profit AI empire differs from the one he is trying to take down.

From Barron's • Apr. 30, 2026

The health secretary sparred with Democrats over budget cuts and faced questions about vaccines from both sides of the aisle.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 27, 2026

She sparred verbally with the established Alycia Baumgardner and thrived under the glare of the Jake Paul v Anthony Joshua card on Netflix.

From BBC • Apr. 5, 2026

Columbus now sparred politely with Nelson until Nelson hit him on the eye, whereupon Columbus retreated with a loud “Ork.”

From "Mr. Popper's Penguins" by Florence Atwater and Richard Atwater