sparring

verb

present participle of spar
as in boxing

Related Words

Relevance

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for sparring
  1. boxing
  2. punching
Verb
  • One of Hooper’s matches involved him boxing icon Cassius Clay, who later changed his name to Muhammad Ali.
    — Corey Davis, Memphis Commercial Appeal, 17 July 2026
  • The Washington Post took a look at how the designation risks boxing the US out of Syria’s recovery.
    — Eleanor Mueller, semafor.com, 8 July 2026
Definition of boxing
Verb
  • Trey Songz has avoided jail time following his arrest last year over allegedly punching an employee at a nightclub in New York City.
    — Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 23 July 2026
  • But that hasn’t stopped one of the country’s increasingly renowned grape-growing regions from punching well above its weight.
    — Tori Latham, Robb Report, 18 July 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.

Browse Nearby Words

sparred
sparring
spars
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Sparring.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sparring. Accessed 29 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on sparring

Nglish: Translation of sparring for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of inveigle

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

Why does English have so many silent letters?

Your vs. You're: How to Use Them Correctly
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Dutch Treat and French Leave: Eight Place-Based Compounds

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Dutch Treat and French Leave: Eight Place-Based Compounds

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
chain-question-mark
Missing Link Quiz July 2026 Five seconds to figure out the word that fits bot...
See All