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.
An Irish boxer has said Kendrick Lamar is welcome to spar with him anytime at his home gym.
From BBC ● Jun. 25, 2026
The county is trying to buy the land, while some of the parties spar in the courts.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 31, 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
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
Across the gym, Spoon and Bud were watching Angel and Jose spar in the ring.
From "The Contender" by Robert Lipsyte
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 president sat as reporters from outlets he has sparred with and even sued, including the New York Times, CNN and the Wall Street Journal, came up to be honoured with awards.
From BBC ● Jul. 25, 2026
While seeing AI models as powerful tools, he has compared them to the intelligence of a cat and sparred with researchers who fear that AI poses an existential risk to humanity.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 4, 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
Columbus now sparred politely with Nelson until Nelson hit him on the eye, whereupon Columbus retreated with a loud “Ork.”
From "Mr. Popper's Penguins" by Florence Atwater and Richard Atwater
Remarkably, the only time they have ever shared a ring was during a sparring session at Finchley Amateur Boxing Club in 2010.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
A video taken shortly before her rescue showed Jackie sparring with two younger eagles, as she flipped on her back to ward them off with her talons.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
In the A.I. age, Maggie Hennessy asserts, sparring with a grouchy maître d’ over the phone is part of what makes dining out great.
From Slate ● Jul. 24, 2026
Plus, Apple’s legal sparring, and Wall Street’s problem with AI drug discovery.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026
They keep on going until Deacon Boyd says, “Well, I think that’s about all the sparring I have in me for today, Lorenzo, sir.”
From "Betty Before X" by Ilyasah Shabazz and Renée Watson
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.
