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

Last week, the star posted a martial arts video on Instagram in which he hit a sparring partner with a combo before saying to the camera, “I don’t age, I level up.”

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 20, 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

"You know the rules, boy. No sparring unless the boss or me is watching. He's not here, and I ain't got time."

From "The Contender" by Robert Lipsyte