sparring partner

noun

1

: someone who helps a boxer practice : someone a boxer spars with for training

2

: a person that someone has serious but friendly arguments with

They have been political sparring partners for years.

Examples of sparring partner in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

That cross-dressing comedy was famously out of control even for Pollack, with a star (Dustin Hoffman) who was as much a sparring partner as a collaborator and a script in constant flux. — Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 14 July 2026

As researchers at Brookings have argued, AI is most valuable as a sparring partner that sharpens ideas, not as a substitute for generating them. — Vicki Phillips, Forbes.com, 7 July 2026

Smith hasn't consistently debated a sparring partner of substance since Max Kellerman left the show in 2021. — Bobby Burack Outkick, FOXNews.com, 9 June 2026

Since June's departure from Gilead at the end of The Handmaid's Tale, Lydia's picked up a new sparring partner in Aunt Vidala, the second-in-command at Lydia's rigorous pre-marital prep school for girls. — Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 8 Apr. 2026

Rhymes for sparring partner

• copartner
• gartner

Kids Definition

sparring partner

noun

: a person with whom a boxer spars for practice during training