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
Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 7 May 2025
It's widely used for cooking, in religious ceremonies, and in Ayurvedic and Chinese medicine to treat conditions ranging from sprains and swelling to digestive issues.
—Lauren O'Connor, Health, 5 May 2025
Roderick Boone, Charlotte Observer, 16 Apr. 2025
Rozier will miss Game 2 at Rocket Arena after spraining his left ankle during an optional workout on Monday and Love remains away from the team because of ongoing personal reasons.
—Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 23 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sprain
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Noun
The Celtics also lost rotation sharpshooter Sam Hauser to an ankle sprain during Monday’s loss.
—Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 7 May 2025
It's widely used for cooking, in religious ceremonies, and in Ayurvedic and Chinese medicine to treat conditions ranging from sprains and swelling to digestive issues.
—Lauren O'Connor, Health, 5 May 2025
Verb
Perfect example: remember in December, when the ‘Core Four’ was available for the first time since Nov. 26, 2023, and the excitement quickly got zapped when Miller sprained his right ankle in the fourth quarter and couldn’t finish the game?
—Roderick Boone, Charlotte Observer, 16 Apr. 2025
Rozier will miss Game 2 at Rocket Arena after spraining his left ankle during an optional workout on Monday and Love remains away from the team because of ongoing personal reasons.
—Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 23 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sprain
Cite this Entry
“Sprain.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sprain. Accessed 17 May. 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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share