1
: a sudden or violent twist or wrench of a joint with stretching or tearing of ligaments
2
: a sprained condition
sprained; spraining; sprains
: to injure by a sudden or severe twist
Examples of sprain in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Pete Sampson, The Athletic, 20 Jan. 2025
Bagley has missed the past 14 games with a right knee sprain.
—Jason Anderson, Sacramento Bee, 20 Jan. 2025
Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 20 Jan. 2025
At that time, Raducanu had only just returned from a couple of months out after spraining foot ligaments at the start of September.
—Charlie Eccleshare, The Athletic, 17 Jan. 2025
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Noun
Knapp’s high ankle sprain suffered against Penn State in the Orange Bowl forced a pivot, sidelining him and replacing him with graduate student Tosh Baker.
—Pete Sampson, The Athletic, 20 Jan. 2025
Bagley has missed the past 14 games with a right knee sprain.
—Jason Anderson, Sacramento Bee, 20 Jan. 2025
Verb
Stephen Curry was active after spraining his ankle Saturday.
—Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 20 Jan. 2025
At that time, Raducanu had only just returned from a couple of months out after spraining foot ligaments at the start of September.
—Charlie Eccleshare, The Athletic, 17 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for sprain
Dictionary Entries Near sprain
Cite this Entry
“Sprain.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sprain. Accessed 27 Jan. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
sprain
1 of 2 noun1
: a sudden or severe twisting of a joint with stretching or tearing of ligaments
2
: a condition that results from a sprain and is usually marked by pain and swelling
sprain
2 of 2 verb
: to injure by a sudden or severe twist
Medical Definition
sprain
1 of 2 noun
: a sudden or violent twist or wrench of a joint causing the stretching or tearing of ligaments and often rupture of blood vessels with hemorrhage into the tissues
also
: the condition resulting from a sprain that is usually marked by swelling, inflammation, hemorrhage, and discoloration compare strain entry 3 sense b
sprain
2 of 2 transitive verb
: to weaken (a joint or ligament) by sudden and violent twisting or wrenching : stretch (ligaments) injuriously without dislocation of the joint
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