sparring partner

noun

1
: someone who helps a boxer practice : someone a boxer spars with for training
2
: a person that someone has serious but friendly arguments with
They have been political sparring partners for years.

Examples of sparring partner in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web His main sparring partner is Sandrine Rousseau, an economist and a Green Party member of Parliament who was a leader of the French #MeToo movement. Elisabeth Zerofsky, New York Times, 6 Mar. 2024 Having a very capable sparring partner in the courtroom adds another obstacle to the already complex case. Alamin Yohannes, EW.com, 6 June 2023 Grammer disappears back into his signature role, but without his one true sparring partner, Frasier feels adrift. TIME, 9 Oct. 2023 The whole thing becomes a lesson on how to give your sparring partner the right amount of rope to figuratively hang themselves. David Fear, Rolling Stone, 12 Oct. 2023 The moves included throwing punches while doing sit-ups, sparring at a fierce pace, dodging punches, and kicking her sparring partner in the abs. Korin Miller, Women's Health, 7 Sep. 2023 Skip Bayless has a new sparring partner, at least verbally. Victoria Hernandez, USA TODAY, 8 Aug. 2023 Unlike in boxing, a political sparring partner is trying to win. Gromer Jeffers Jr., Dallas News, 20 July 2023 There are other casting changes, too: Bean’s schedule didn’t align with Season 2 production, and, in a familiar turn of events for Bean, his character is killed off, with Mark Bonnar introduced as a new sparring partner for Manville’s thorny matriarch Robina. Manori Ravindran, Variety, 17 July 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'sparring partner.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Dictionary Entries Near sparring partner

Cite this Entry

“Sparring partner.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sparring%20partner. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

sparring partner

noun
: a person with whom a boxer spars for practice during training
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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