1
: a stout pole
2
a
: a stout rounded usually wood or metal piece (such as a mast, boom, gaff, or yard) used to support rigging
b
: any of the main longitudinal members of the wing of an airplane that carry the ribs
sparred; sparring
1
a
: box entry 3
especially
: to gesture without landing a blow to draw one's opponent or create an opening
b
: to engage in a practice or exhibition bout of boxing
3
: to strike or fight with feet or spurs in the manner of a gamecock
: any of various nonmetallic usually cleavable and lustrous minerals
Examples of spar in a Sentence
Verb
He's been sparring with his trainer.
They sparred playfully over whose team was better.
Recent Examples on the Web
David Smiley, Miami Herald, 17 Apr. 2024
The justices also sparred over the court’s practice of accepting emergency applications and ruling on them rapidly.
—Ian Max Stevenson, Idaho Statesman, 16 Apr. 2024
That’s because the kooky performances help bring every wild scene and gothic set piece to life, as an oddly macabre clan (helmed by Raul Julia and Anjelica Huston) spars with a con man who resembles their lost relative.
—Chris Snellgrove, EW.com, 16 Apr. 2024
In the last year, Berkeley officials and the air district have sparred over whether the landfill-turned-park should upgrade its pollution controls.
—Tony Briscoe, Los Angeles Times, 11 Apr. 2024
Trump, Biden likely spar at first debate: September 16
The first presidential debate is set to take place at Texas State University in San Marco, Texas.
—Sudiksha Kochi, USA TODAY, 28 Mar. 2024
Allen Weisselberg, former Trump Organization CFO, turns himself in on perjury charge
The Trump trials: A former president faces justice
Attorneys spar at final hearing over removing Fani Willis from Trump Georgia case
More
Melissa Quinn
Melissa Quinn is a politics reporter for CBSNews.com.
—Melissa Quinn, CBS News, 4 Mar. 2024
The two sides are sparring over whether Tesla can call an Apple engineering manager as a witness for a two-month trial set to start next week in state court in San Jose.
—Bloomberg, The Mercury News, 5 Apr. 2024
Netanyahu team spars over draft status of ultra-Orthodox Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is facing a coalition crisis over drafting ultra-Orthodox Jews into the military.
—Loveday Morris The Washington Post, arkansasonline.com, 30 Mar. 2024
Andrew Birkle, Detroit Free Press, 31 Jan. 2024
Craters pitted the earth; hummocks rose and fell; downed trees jutted from slash heaps like the spars of shipwrecks.
—Ben Goldfarb, Smithsonian Magazine, 13 Feb. 2024
This dense mass, called a spar platform, works like the keel of a boat.
—IEEE Spectrum, 23 Sep. 2023
There’s a 40,000-tonne spar platform that replaces the steel column with a cheaper, 285-meter-long column of concrete.
—IEEE Spectrum, 23 Sep. 2023
Lawyers spar, sons testify, as Aretha Franklin estate trial gets underway in Pontiac
Kecalf Franklin and Edward Franklin are proponents of the 2014 will.
—Brian McCollum, Detroit Free Press, 11 July 2023
Jayapal, Nadler spar with Barr over Portland, politicization Since George Floyd was killed in Minneapolis, protests have occurred nightly in the city for more than 70 days.
—USA TODAY, 10 Aug. 2020
Here are some highlights of their conversation: Musk and Yaccarino spar over content moderation The Miami discussion was cordial, although both participants drew some distinct lines in the sand.
—David Hamilton, Fortune, 14 May 2023
The same 100 hp, 659 cc parallel-twin sits inside the same twin spar chassis.
—Peter Jackson, Robb Report, 30 Mar. 2021
Verb
Over the coming years, Graham would spar with the administrations of Jimmy Carter and later Ronald Reagan, arguing that the federal government had abdicated its responsibility to address a federal immigration crisis playing out in the state of Florida.
—David Smiley, Miami Herald, 17 Apr. 2024
The justices also sparred over the court’s practice of accepting emergency applications and ruling on them rapidly.
—Ian Max Stevenson, Idaho Statesman, 16 Apr. 2024
That’s because the kooky performances help bring every wild scene and gothic set piece to life, as an oddly macabre clan (helmed by Raul Julia and Anjelica Huston) spars with a con man who resembles their lost relative.
—Chris Snellgrove, EW.com, 16 Apr. 2024
In the last year, Berkeley officials and the air district have sparred over whether the landfill-turned-park should upgrade its pollution controls.
—Tony Briscoe, Los Angeles Times, 11 Apr. 2024
Trump, Biden likely spar at first debate: September 16
The first presidential debate is set to take place at Texas State University in San Marco, Texas.
—Sudiksha Kochi, USA TODAY, 28 Mar. 2024
Allen Weisselberg, former Trump Organization CFO, turns himself in on perjury charge
The Trump trials: A former president faces justice
Attorneys spar at final hearing over removing Fani Willis from Trump Georgia case
More
Melissa Quinn
Melissa Quinn is a politics reporter for CBSNews.com.
—Melissa Quinn, CBS News, 4 Mar. 2024
The two sides are sparring over whether Tesla can call an Apple engineering manager as a witness for a two-month trial set to start next week in state court in San Jose.
—Bloomberg, The Mercury News, 5 Apr. 2024
Netanyahu team spars over draft status of ultra-Orthodox Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is facing a coalition crisis over drafting ultra-Orthodox Jews into the military.
—Loveday Morris The Washington Post, arkansasonline.com, 30 Mar. 2024
Noun
However, beyond this immediate good news for Lions fans, Carlos and Shawn spar over whether we should be concerned if Coach Dan Campbell can hire the right replacement should Johnson leave the team.
—Andrew Birkle, Detroit Free Press, 31 Jan. 2024
Craters pitted the earth; hummocks rose and fell; downed trees jutted from slash heaps like the spars of shipwrecks.
—Ben Goldfarb, Smithsonian Magazine, 13 Feb. 2024
This dense mass, called a spar platform, works like the keel of a boat.
—IEEE Spectrum, 23 Sep. 2023
There’s a 40,000-tonne spar platform that replaces the steel column with a cheaper, 285-meter-long column of concrete.
—IEEE Spectrum, 23 Sep. 2023
Lawyers spar, sons testify, as Aretha Franklin estate trial gets underway in Pontiac
Kecalf Franklin and Edward Franklin are proponents of the 2014 will.
—Brian McCollum, Detroit Free Press, 11 July 2023
Jayapal, Nadler spar with Barr over Portland, politicization Since George Floyd was killed in Minneapolis, protests have occurred nightly in the city for more than 70 days.
—USA TODAY, 10 Aug. 2020
Here are some highlights of their conversation: Musk and Yaccarino spar over content moderation The Miami discussion was cordial, although both participants drew some distinct lines in the sand.
—David Hamilton, Fortune, 14 May 2023
The same 100 hp, 659 cc parallel-twin sits inside the same twin spar chassis.
—Peter Jackson, Robb Report, 30 Mar. 2021
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'spar.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near spar
Cite this Entry
“Spar.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/spar. Accessed 23 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
spar
1 of 2 noun1
: a stout pole
2
: a long rounded usually wood or metal piece (as a mast, boom, or yard) to which a sail is fastened
spar
2 of 2 verb
sparred; sparring
1
: to box or make boxing movements with the fists for practice or in fun
Etymology
Noun
Middle English sparre "a stout pole, a pole used to support a sail on a ship"
Verb
Middle English sparren "to dart, spring"
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