How to Use sparring partner in a Sentence

sparring partner

noun
  • Gilmore, it should be noted, was hardly Edelman’s only sparring partner in those days.
    — Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 20 Sep. 2025
  • The young professionals who thrive here treat AI as a sparring partner rather than a ghostwriter.
    — Andy Molinsky, Forbes.com, 25 May 2026
  • Matt, my son Ted’s sparring partner, said the club reminded him of college, with activities all the time.
    — Michael Goldstein, Forbes.com, 15 May 2026
  • Jimmy, one of the lightest heavyweight champions ever, was a sparring partner with Muhammad Ali.
    — Kyle Newman, Denver Post, 30 Aug. 2025
  • Younger by a year and a half, Rahaman Ali gave up his own boxing career to become a chauffeur, sparring partner, gofer, chef and right-hand man for older brother Muhammad.
    — Keely Doll, Louisville Courier Journal, 16 Aug. 2025
  • Smith hasn't consistently debated a sparring partner of substance since Max Kellerman left the show in 2021.
    — Bobby Burack Outkick, FOXNews.com, 9 June 2026
  • The Duke of Hastings and his sparring partner, Will Mondrich, look absolutely dashing — if a bit disheveled, on the Duke's part — in this shot of the pair.
    — Sophie Dodd, PEOPLE, 29 Jan. 2026
  • These moments show students evaluating AI output critically and treating it almost as a sparring partner, rather than simply copying it.
    — Jeanne Beatrix Law, The Conversation, 26 Mar. 2026
  • Innovation stems from shifting from prompting (treating AI as a task worker) to curating (treating AI as a sparring partner).
    — Syed Ahmad, Forbes.com, 15 May 2026

Some of 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.

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