sparred

Definition of sparrednext
past tense of spar

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for sparred
Verb
  • Turner played basketball and boxed at a community center in Far Rockaway, according to his godmother.
    Roni Jacobson, New York Daily News, 4 Jan. 2026
  • The docket isn’t wrapping up so much as carrying over, with headline cases boxed up for the new year as 2026 arrives.
    Michael Ruiz, FOXNews.com, 1 Jan. 2026
Verb
  • The 2024 Dodgers slugged their way to a title, scoring the seventh-most runs (95) of any team in postseason history.
    Katie Woo, New York Times, 7 Jan. 2026
  • Ohtani slugged three home runs while limiting the Brewers to two hits in six-plus innings, striking out 10.
    Ben Verbrugge, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • After Patriots senior Taylor Perry scored the first bucket of the second quarter to cap off a 9-2 run, the Cavers punched back with an 8-0 run that lasted more than five minutes to regain their five-point lead before going into halftime up six.
    Breven Honda, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Jan. 2026
  • The fight escalated, and the man punched the 46-year-old conductor before taking off, according to police.
    Alexa Herrera, CBS News, 20 Jan. 2026
Verb
  • By the way, his department in Utah had been buffeted by scandal, including a cop searching for nudes on a female victim’s phone.
    Howie Carr, Boston Herald, 24 Dec. 2025
  • But reductions were 24% higher than a year ago and the highest since the COVID-19 pandemic – another sign of a volatile job market buffeted with economic challenges from slowing demand to tariff uncertainties.
    Mike Snider, USA Today, 4 Dec. 2025
Verb
  • Stevens said the loss of Lea’e’s father hit the team hard.
    John Maffei, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Jan. 2026
  • Minnesota guard Cade Tyson hit a game-tying 3-pointer with five seconds left, but Wisconsin counterpart John Blackwell sank a game-winning trey at the buzzer for a 78-75 win at Williams Arena.
    Andy Greder, Twin Cities, 14 Jan. 2026
Verb
  • As Hodges stood there, scared and vulnerable, the man grabbed his baton and bashed him on the head with it, rupturing his lip and smashing his skull.
    Jamie Thompson, The Atlantic, 6 Jan. 2026
  • Their effort also got support from groups funded by wealthy Chicagoans that bashed Johnson’s spending plan by bankrolling over $100,000 in Facebook ads and even more on television.
    Jake Sheridan, Chicago Tribune, 6 Jan. 2026
Verb
  • As a ballplayer, Kent was as irascible as Bonds; the two alphas reportedly brawled behind clubhouse doors, and famously clashed in the dugout during a 2002 game, when Bonds lunged for Kent’s throat and pushed him against the wall.
    Jeremy Collins, The Atlantic, 12 Dec. 2025
  • Michigan upset Ohio State 13-10, and the two teams brawled after the game when Michigan players tried planting their flag on the Buckeyes' field.
    Ryan Canfield, FOXNews.com, 28 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • Trump has said previously that the Cuban economy, battered by years of an American embargo, would slide further with the ouster of Maduro.
    Seung Min Kim, Los Angeles Times, 11 Jan. 2026
  • The arts scene in South Florida has been battered by funding cuts at the federal and state levels over the last few years.
    Daniel Rivero, Miami Herald, 9 Jan. 2026
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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Cite this Entry

“Sparred.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sparred. Accessed 22 Jan. 2026.

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