Meanings
- gerundparticiplepresentpresent participle and gerund of spar
plural sparrings
- countableuncountableThe act of one who spars.
Albeit he is under the influence of the magic juice, Lysander's words to Hermia — once he has switched his romantic allegiance to Helena — are bitter, cruel. At times Benedick and Beatrice's verbal sparrings drip with an acidity that smarts.
2010, Kenneth Tucker, Shakespeare and Jungian Typology: A Reading of the Plays, page 48
Synonyms & antonyms
nounmaking the motions of attack and defense with the fists and arms; a part of training for a boxer
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Translations
Dutch sparren
- sparrenact of one who spars
Estonian sparrimine, togimine
- sparrimineact of one who spars
- togimineact of one who spars
- tögamineact of one who spars
Finnish sparraus
- sparrausact of one who spars
Italian sparring
- sparringact of one who spars
Japanese 手合わせ
- 手合わせ (teawase)act of one who spars
Polish sparing, sparring
- sparingact of one who spars
- sparringact of one who spars
Russian спа́рринг
- спа́рринг (spárring)act of one who spars
Spanish sparring (sparrin)
- sparring (sparrin)act of one who spars
Cite this entry
sparring. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sparring
“sparring.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sparring. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “sparring,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sparring.
Source: sparring on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.