sprain
Americanverb (used with object)
noun
-
a violent straining or wrenching of the parts around a joint, without dislocation.
-
the condition of being sprained.
verb
noun
Synonym Usage
See strain 1.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
sprainsimple
-
sprainssimple
-
have sprainedperfect
-
has sprainedperfect
-
am sprainingprogressive
-
are sprainingprogressive
-
is sprainingprogressive
-
have been sprainingperfect progressive
-
has been sprainingperfect progressive
Past
-
sprainedsimple
-
had sprainedperfect
-
was sprainingprogressive
-
were sprainingprogressive
-
had been sprainingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of sprain
First recorded in 1595–1605; origin uncertain
Explanation
To sprain one of your joints is to twist it suddenly. The result is a sprain, in which the ligaments have been injured. Don’t go hiking in high heels because you might sprain your ankle. A sprain — which occurs at joints such as the wrist, elbow, or knee — happens when the ligaments are turned quickly and painfully. After the initial pain, a sprain will swell up. Spraining something is difficult, but things could be worse — a sprained knee will heal quicker than a broken bone.
Vocabulary lists containing sprain
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Ultimately, Sprain says determining the cause of the Ediacaran extinction is essential to understanding the evolution of life since then.
From Scientific American • Feb. 15, 2019
Most scientists, including Sprain, doubt an impending geomagnetic reversal.
From Seattle Times • Feb. 4, 2019
“But how? How do you hurry that up? With some physical injuries, you kinda know. Tear a hamstring, you’re out six months. Sprain your ankle, couple weeks. But for this? I don’t know.”
From Salon • Jun. 23, 2018
It happened around 2 p.m. on the Sprain Brook Parkway in Yonkers, just north of New York City.
From Washington Times • Nov. 24, 2016
The Custom of rolling the naked Foot upon some round Body is insufficient, when the Bones are not perfectly replaced; and hurtful, when the Sprain is accompanied with a Contusion.
From Advice to the people in general, with regard to their health by Tissot, S. A. D. (Samuel Auguste David)
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
