See the Dictionary Definition 
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sparred
Verb
-
Louis Munteanu boxed out a defender to win an arcing header played into the area by Baribo, then back-heeled a pass back to Baribo for a blistering finish inside the left post from near the penalty spot.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
14 May 2026 -
Its seven stages are mindfully bento-boxed within Bayfront Park’s topography, allowing for relatively short walks between sets while also avoiding sound bleed.—
Danny Klein,
SPIN,
14 May 2026
Verb
-
Kendall Yarnell slugged a solo home run — her 15th of the season — in the top of the fourth inning to push the lead to 7-1.—
Matt Murschel,
The Orlando Sentinel,
16 May 2026
-
The Lakers slugged their way through a defensive battle against the Houston Rockets in the first round, but their offense started lagging midway through the series.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
6 May 2026
Verb
-
In late February, animal rights activists flew a drone over a calf ranch in the Central Valley and watched as workers kicked and punched the animals.—
Susanne Rust
Follow,
Los Angeles Times,
12 May 2026
-
In Rhode Island, school speech therapist Denise Champney said she’s seen children get so frustrated with the software’s animations and spoken prompts that one punched the screen of his Chromebook.—
Tyler Kingkade,
NBC news,
12 May 2026
Verb
-
On the Mall, the wide avenue leading to the palace, a sudden downpour and a bitter wind buffeted a scant line of crowds, huddled under umbrellas against the barriers lining the iconic red roadway.—
Alexander Smith,
NBC news,
13 May 2026
-
From player fights to bizarre news conferences, arguably the world’s biggest soccer team has been buffeted from one attention-grabbing revelation to another.—
Ben Church,
CNN Money,
13 May 2026
Verb
-
Andy Pages hit a three-run home run and Max Muncy hit his 12th homer of the season on the next at-bat to break a scoreless game in the fourth inning.—
Liana Handler,
Los Angeles Times,
16 May 2026
-
For cocktails and nightlife, hit TopGolf or Nola’s for live music then end the night strong with a table at HQ nightclub where resident and guest DJs keep the dance floor bumping and bottle servers keep the bubbly and energy flowing.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
16 May 2026
Verb
-
Footage of the crash scene shows the SUV flipped upside down with airbags deployed and the side of the car bashed in and windows shattered on the ground, while the front of the police car appears smashed up.—
Escher Walcott,
PEOPLE,
13 May 2026
-
It’s been eight years since Mbappé made his World Cup debut as an electric wide forward who bashed in four goals in seven matches as France won the tournament for just the second time in 88 years.—
Aidan McLaughlin,
Vanity Fair,
12 May 2026
Verb
-
Wait, goaltender Igor Shesterkin — who brawled with New Jersey’s Jacob Markström last week — has boxing coaches?—
Sean McIndoe,
New York Times,
7 Apr. 2026
-
On April 3, after UCLA defeated University of Texas in the Final Four, Close apologized to the fans in an ESPN interview about how the two teams brawled over each point.—
Cynthia Littleton,
Variety,
5 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
But a slowing economy and crisis-battered housing market could upend that.—
Chris Lau,
CNN Money,
18 May 2026
-
The movie industry was battered by the pandemic and increasing competition from the small screen.—
Kenneth R. Gosselin,
Hartford Courant,
17 May 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.
Cite this Entry
“Sparred.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sparred. Accessed 20 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
