spar

¹

[spahr]

noun

1. Nautical.,  a stout pole such as those used for masts, etc.; a mast, yard, boom, gaff, or the like.

2. Aeronautics.,  a principal lateral member of the framework of a wing of an airplane.

verb (used with object)

sparred, sparring 

1. to provide or make with spars.

spar

²

[spahr]

verb (used without object)

sparred, sparring 

1. (of boxers) to make the motions of attack and defense with the arms and fists, especially as a part of training.

2. to box, especially with light blows.

3. to strike or attack with the feet or spurs, as gamecocks do.

4. to bandy words; dispute.

noun

1. a motion of sparring.

2. a boxing match.

3. a dispute.

spar

³

[spahr]

noun

1. any of various more or less lustrous crystalline minerals, as fluorspar or feldspar.

SPAR

⁴

Or Spar

[spahr]

noun

1. (during World War II) a woman enlisted in the women's reserve of the U.S. Coast Guard (disbanded in 1946).

SpAr

⁵

abbreviation

1. Spanish Arabic.

spar

¹

/ spɑː /

verb

1. boxing martial arts to fight using light blows, as in training

2. to dispute or argue

3. (of gamecocks) to fight with the feet or spurs

noun

1. an unaggressive fight

2. an argument or wrangle

3. informal,  a close friend

spar

²

/ spɑː /

noun

1. 1. any piece of nautical gear resembling a pole and used as a mast, boom, gaff, etc

   2. ( as modifier )

      a spar buoy

2. a principal supporting structural member of an aerofoil that runs from tip to tip or root to tip

spar

³

/ spɑː /

noun

1. any of various minerals, such as feldspar or calcite, that are light-coloured, microcrystalline, transparent to translucent, and easily cleavable

Other Word Forms

• sparlike adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of spar¹

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

Origin of spar²

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English spar(r)en “to go quickly, rush, dart, thrust”; further origin unknown

Origin of spar³

First recorded in 1575–85; from Middle Low German spar, sper; akin to Old English spær(stān) “gypsum, chalk”

Origin of spar⁴

1942; < Latin S ( emper ) par ( ātus ) “Always ready” the Coast Guard motto

Word History and Origins

Origin of spar¹

Old English, perhaps from _spur

Origin of spar²

C13: from Old Norse sperra beam; related to Old High German sparro, Old French esparre

Origin of spar³

C16: from Middle Low German spar; related to Old English spærstān; see _feldspar

Example Sentences

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

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Now, the two companies are sparring in federal bankruptcy court in Delaware.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

"He's improved a lot, but he's not a world-class fighter. He's maybe top 60 at cruiserweight. He trains properly and spars hard, but this is just different."

Read more on BBC

Then again, it wouldn’t be the Ashes without a little verbal sparring.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

He and Kennedy have increasingly sparred in recent months, as Cassidy has accused the health secretary of backpedaling on his vow to protect vaccine access.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• argue 
• bicker 
• contend 
• quarrel 
• wrangle