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.

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

After all that verbal sparring, promoter Frank Warren restored a little order.

From BBC • Feb. 25, 2026

The lightweight rivals have been sparring from afar since Harper won the WBO belt in September 2024.

From BBC • Feb. 4, 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

“For all the horrid things you said yesterday afternoon when I was sparring with Nehemia.”

From "Throne of Glass" by Sarah J. Maas