sprain
Americanverb (used with object)
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sprains,
present (3rd person singular)
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sprained,
past participle, past
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spraining
present participle
noun
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sprains
plural
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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
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sprainsimple
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sprainssimple
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have sprainedperfect
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has sprainedperfect
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am sprainingprogressive
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are sprainingprogressive
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is sprainingprogressive
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have been sprainingperfect progressive
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has been sprainingperfect progressive
Past
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sprainedsimple
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had sprainedperfect
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was sprainingprogressive
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were sprainingprogressive
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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.
See Examples For:
Plum, who missed three games with a right ankle sprain earlier this season, is out with a lower left leg injury and will be re-evaluated in four weeks, the team announced Wednesday morning.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 24, 2026
All-American Yaxel Lendeborg, gutting out a knee sprain, added 13.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 7, 2026
Lyla had already spent more than a year dealing with pain that was initially thought to be a sprain or small fracture.
From BBC ● Mar. 20, 2026
Miami Heat guard Dru Smith suffered a severe anterior cruciate ligament sprain from slipping off the court in 2023.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 28, 2026
Esther’s black high heels were shaky, and as she walked past, Ifemelu worried that the shoes would collapse and sprain Esther’s ankles.
From "Americanah" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Lower limb injuries including sprains, bone damage and wear and tear of the tendons are common, he said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026
Garrett sustained shoulder and biceps sprains and was sidelined for the Browns’ game that week against the Atlanta Falcons.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 5, 2026
But the walk-in centre is not for medical emergencies, sprains, repeat prescriptions or long-term conditions.
From BBC ● Feb. 24, 2026
Fact: Back pain is usually caused by muscle strains or sprains, not by a serious condition like a disc or vertebrae issue.
From Science Daily ● Dec. 15, 2025
They licked their lips and clucked their tongues in fond remembrance of pains they had endured—childbirth, rheumatism, croup, sprains, backaches, piles.
From "The Bluest Eye" by Toni Morrison
“I’m fine. I’ve got a sprained neck, and I’m really in shock and sort of cry all the time, but I’m going to heal.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2026
Oklahoma City All-Star Jalen Williams has missed games with a hamstring injury, and San Antonio All-Star De’Aaron Fox is limping through contests on a sprained ankle.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 25, 2026
Thomas was taken to hospital, where he said he was lucky to only suffer "sprained ankles and minor stuff".
From BBC ● Apr. 30, 2026
For the Rockets, Kevin Durant missed his third game of the series because of a bone bruise in his sprained left ankle.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 27, 2026
“Two weeks from school for a sprained thumb?”
From "Burning Blue" by Paul Griffin
Raducanu has not played since spraining ligaments in her foot during a Korea Open quarter-final against Daria Kasatkina on 21 September.
From BBC ● Oct. 23, 2024
Dallas’ Maxi Kleber didn’t return after spraining his right shoulder when he took a hard fall on a blocking foul against Amir Coffey on a drive in the first minute of the second quarter.
From Seattle Times ● May 3, 2024
Days after he was announced as the Clippers’ fifth starter, Terance Mann will miss the season opener after spraining an ankle Monday during practice, the team said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 24, 2023
Despite spraining his knee late in the first half, Cook shredded the Wildcats’ secondary, throwing for 356 yards and two scores.
From Washington Times ● Sep. 17, 2023
I got to my feet: minor spraining of the sub ... trans ... damn, what was that called?
From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss
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.
