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• spar
  spar

  noun

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

  noun

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

  abbreviation

  Spanish Arabic.

spar

¹ American  

[spahr] / spɑr /

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.

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verb (used with object)

sparred, sparring

1. to provide or make with spars.

spar ² American  

[spahr] / spɑr /

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.

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noun

1. a motion of sparring.

2. a boxing match.

3. a dispute.

spar ³ American  

[spahr] / spɑr /

noun

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

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SPAR ⁴ American  

[spahr] / spɑr /

Or Spar

noun

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

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SpAr ⁵ American  

abbreviation

1. Spanish Arabic.

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spar ¹ British  

/ 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

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noun

1. an unaggressive fight

2. an argument or wrangle

3. informal a close friend

spar ² British  

/ 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

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spar ³ British  

/ spɑː /

noun

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

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Other Word Forms

• sparlike
  adjective

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Etymology

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

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Explanation

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

spar SPAR sparred sparring

An Irish boxer has said Kendrick Lamar is welcome to spar with him anytime at his home gym.

From BBC ● Jun. 25, 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

Heavier spars require a larger sail while people who build miniature kites sometimes don’t include a spar or will only use half a toothpick, Choi said.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 3, 2026

One reason the U.S. is seen as likely to cede ground is the leverage External link Beijing has shown as it and Washington spar over trade.

From Barron's ● Feb. 26, 2026

He pried her loose from the wood spar, for her fingers were locked there.

From "Son" by Lois Lowry

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 Sir W. S. (William Schwenck) Gilbert

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 Sir W. S. (William Schwenck) Gilbert

In the debate, Conley and Lawler sparred over their associations with men accused of misconduct.

From Salon ● Nov. 1, 2026

Tanden has finished up her marathon day with an appearance on CNN; she sparred with Scott Jennings about Donald Trump’s flagging poll numbers.

From Slate ● Oct. 15, 2026

TKV, who has sparred Joshua, Daniel Dubois and Fabio Wardley, has seen enough behind closed doors to believe Itauma can handle it.

From BBC ● Aug. 28, 2026

The fates of all three companies are intertwined, as their leaders—including Musk, OpenAI’s Sam Altman and Anthropic’s Dario Amodei—have sparred with one another over a technology they helped launch together.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 21, 2026

Celaena drew another dagger, but paused as Verin called to her from the ring where he sparred with Cain.

From "Throne of Glass" by Sarah J. Maas

No matter how gleeful Siskel and Ebert used to look sparring over movies, their industry was built on intellectual debate in pursuit of cinematic resonance, not schadenfreude.

From Salon ● Nov. 5, 2026

Polymarket was one of the early entrants in the prediction markets sector, and has been sparring with Kalshi to be the top operator.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026

At times it felt tense witnessing the two sparring in the courtroom, with Rogers accusing her of repeatedly lying.

From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026

The Ojai Raptor Center began treating the 14-year-old eagle shortly after she was found weak and unable to fly in mid-July after sparring with younger eagles.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 8, 2026

She gives me an apologetic look before taking the wooden hilt from Brother Lekan and moving into the center of the sparring lawns.

From "Beasts of Prey" by Ayana Gray

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