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sparring

verb

present participle of spar
as in boxing

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for sparring
  1. boxing
  2. punching
Verb
  • Eubank Jr was seven years older than Benn, five years further into his professional career and, more pertinently, boxing at middleweight, three weight classes higher than super-lightweight Benn.
    — Sarah Shephard, New York Times, 10 Sep. 2026
  • Pausing midway through a meal to check in with your hunger is a good rule of thumb, and boxing half of a meal at a restaurant to bring home can also help.
    — Gavin Escott, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of boxing
Verb
  • Houston will host the Kansas City Royals, owners of the fifth-worst record in baseball, and the Rangers will host the Boston Red Sox, a club on the verge of punching its own ticket to October.
    — Johnny Flores Jr, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2026
  • The victim tackled Cunningham and started punching him, and took the gun.
    — Meredith Colias-Pete, Chicago Tribune, 11 Sep. 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
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Cite this Entry

“Sparring.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sparring. Accessed 23 Sep. 2026.

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