sparring

verb

present participle of spar
as in boxing

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for sparring
  1. boxing
  2. punching
Verb
  • If, as Jimmy Connors has said, tennis is boxing at ninety feet—a lonely battle of wills that punishes the slightest lapse in concentration—Eala’s southpaw forehand drives resemble Pacquiao’s blazing left hooks.
    — Albert Samaha, New Yorker, 29 Aug. 2026
  • He was stripped of his heavyweight title, barred from boxing for more than three years and convicted of draft evasion.
    — Bobby Burack OutKick, FOXNews.com, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of boxing
Verb
  • In the film, ex-girlfriend Jill Jones reportedly accused Prince of repeatedly punching her in 1984.
    — Brian Hiatt, Rolling Stone, 28 Aug. 2026
  • One recent City Series game at Wrigley also had three arrests and included viral brawl that many Cubs fans blamed on Sox fans, though video showed a guy in a Cubs jersey was punching a guy in a Cubs jersey as well.
    — Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of punching
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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sparred
sparring
spars
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Cite this Entry

“Sparring.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sparring. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

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