Nautical. a stout pole such as those used for masts, etc.; a mast, yard, boom, gaff, or the like.
Aeronautics. a principal lateral member of the framework of a wing of an airplane.
(of boxers) to make the motions of attack and defense with the arms and fists, especially as a part of training.
to box, especially with light blows.
to strike or attack with the feet or spurs, as gamecocks do.
to bandy words; dispute.
a motion of sparring.
a boxing match.
a dispute.
boxing martial arts to fight using light blows, as in training
to dispute or argue
(of gamecocks) to fight with the feet or spurs
an unaggressive fight
an argument or wrangle
informal a close friend
any piece of nautical gear resembling a pole and used as a mast, boom, gaff, etc
( as modifier )
a spar buoy
a principal supporting structural member of an aerofoil that runs from tip to tip or root to tip
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English spar(r)e, sperre, sper “a board, rafter, beam”; cognate with German Sparren, Dutch, Frisian spar, Old Norse sparri
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English spar(r)en “to go quickly, rush, dart, thrust”; further origin unknown
First recorded in 1575–85; from Middle Low German spar, sper; akin to Old English spær(stān) “gypsum, chalk”
1942; < Latin S ( emper ) par ( ātus ) “Always ready” the Coast Guard motto
If you spar with someone, you exchange light blows — either literally by punching each other, or figuratively by exchanging verbal blows. If you box, you might spar with an opponent at the gym while you're training. You don't strike too hard — it’s just practice. Similarly, if you spar with words, you typically do it playfully and without anger. You might repeatedly spar with your mom about who makes the best meatloaf, but it’s all in good fun. Spar is also the name of a rigging pole, as well as of some light minerals like calcite, that you can cut through.
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The 26th president, Teddy Roosevelt, regularly invited professional boxers, military aides and guests to the executive mansion to spar, at least until he suffered a detached retina.
From Salon ● Jun. 19, 2026
It was US President Donald Trump's 80th birthday and the eve of his departure for the G7 summit in the French spar town of Evian-les-Bains.
From Barron's ● Jun. 19, 2026
Throughout the tense exchange in Justice Samuel Alito’s concurrence and Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson’s dissent, they spar over when the clock of the rule of law should start and stop.
From Slate ● May 5, 2026
It is common for justices to spar in their written opinions, and they sometimes expound on their legal disagreements in speeches or interviews.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 15, 2026
I said, knotting the loose end of the spool tar to the string loop tied to the center spar.
From "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini
It was joined by BWG Foods, which said the products were no longer listed for distribution across its network of SPAR, EUROSPAR, MACE, Londis and XL stores.
From BBC ● Nov. 28, 2024
So in World War II, she enlisted as a SPAR, becoming the first African American woman in the Coast Guard.
From Time ● May 20, 2015
That has grown into Aerojet-General, a subsidiary that turns out Polaris, Minuteman and Titan rocket motors and a cigar-shaped, 354-ft. ocea-nographical research vessel called the SPAR, which bobs in the seas in a vertical position.
From Time Magazine Archive
So please to wait For thoughts that crop, En tete-a-tete, On mountain top, May not exactly tally With those that you May entertain, Returning to The sober plain Of yon relaxing valley SPAR.
From The Complete Plays of Gilbert and Sullivan by Gilbert, W. S. (William Schwenck), Sir
Some mighty kind, I dare say, with wealth beyond all counting who came to live up here— SPAR.
From The Complete Plays of Gilbert and Sullivan by Gilbert, W. S. (William Schwenck), Sir
The U.S. and China have sparred for dominance in both fields.
From Barron's ● Jun. 29, 2026
For more than 15 years he has trained under Peter Fury and sparred Tyson Fury, Dillian Whyte and UFC champion Tom Aspinall.
From BBC ● May 22, 2026
In an extraordinary scene, the two presidents sparred on national television about the usually off-limits subjects of human rights and the Tiananmen crackdown.
From Barron's ● May 15, 2026
A former world kickboxing champion who came to the Palisades from the Florida Panhandle in 1982, Blanck has sparred with boxing champion Sugar Ray Leonard and trained actors Tom Hanks and Steve Guttenberg.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 12, 2026
She helped cook quiet meals for heartbroken families, and sparred with a black belt Bokator bot.
From "Scythe" by Neal Shusterman
The rap superstar had just finished his own training session when McKenna and his brother began eight rounds of technical sparring.
From BBC ● Jun. 25, 2026
Orcel’s maneuvering to take control has contributed to the sparring between the two banks.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 17, 2026
“People are now using AI as a sparring partner, rather than just the internet as a research tool.”
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 2, 2026
But she misses the days of sparring with Democratic operative Donna Brazile when they were on opposing sides on CNN’s Washington set, and then went out for oysters and wine at Old Ebbitt Grill afterward.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 10, 2026
"You know the rules, boy. No sparring unless the boss or me is watching. He's not here, and I ain't got time."
From "The Contender" by Robert Lipsyte
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
