sparring
part of speech
noun (sparring — uncountable); verb form (spar, spars, sparred, sparring); adjective (sparring partner)
meaning for a pupil
1) In boxing and martial arts, sparring is practice fighting with a partner, using light hits and safety gear, to train, not to hurt. tree →
2) Sparring is also arguing in a friendly or not very serious way, trading quick clever remarks. tree →
3) (verb) To spar means to do that practice fighting, or to argue with someone. tree →
sense in the lessons
In PE and clubs such as karate or taekwondo, sparring has rules, gloves and head guards. In stories and news, politicians or friends "spar" with words. Phrases: "sparring partner" (someone you train or argue with often), "sparring session", "spar with".
examples
- We have sparring practice at karate on Fridays. tree →
- You must wear a head guard for sparring. tree →
- The boxer's sparring partner helped him get ready. tree →
- The two friends enjoy sparring about football. tree →
- The leaders sparred on TV about taxes. tree →
- In taekwondo sparring, you score points for kicks. tree →
- Sparring is not real fighting; we stop when the coach says. tree →
note
"Spar" doubles the r: sparred, sparring. A "spar" is also a pole on a ship's mast (a different word). Sparring partner can mean a friend you often argue with for fun.
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «sparring» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.