sparring partner

American  

[spahr-ing pahrt-ner] / ˈspɑr ɪŋ ˌpɑrt nər /

noun

1. a boxer who spars with and otherwise serves to train a boxer who is preparing for a bout.

2. a person who serves to sharpen and expand one’s thinking through frequent friendly debate.

   This provocative political writer was the frequent sparring partner of a popular talk show host on TV.

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sparring partner British  

/ ˈspɑːrɪŋ /

noun

1. a person who practises with a boxer during training

2. a person with whom one has friendly arguments

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sparring partner Idioms  

1. An individual with whom one enjoys arguing, as in Jim's my best sparring partner. This expression alludes to boxing, where since about 1900 it has denoted the person one practices or trains with. [Mid-1900s] Also see spar with.

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Etymology

Origin of sparring partner

First recorded in 1905–10

Example Sentences

Last week, the star posted a martial arts video on Instagram in which he hit a sparring partner with a combo before saying to the camera, “I don’t age, I level up.”

From Los Angeles Times

Rather, as Gerri Kimber explains in “Katherine Mansfield: A Hidden Life,” they would be known as literary sparring partners, both engaged in the high-stakes project of forging a new modernist literature.

From The Wall Street Journal

Cuban heavyweight Frank Sanchez and American puncher Jared Anderson are also sparring partners.

From BBC

Sure enough, my PB&J comes out of the bag looking like a sumo wrestler used it as a sparring partner.

From Literature

The boxer is a sparring partner for Marian, who works out her aggression in the ring.

From Los Angeles Times