spring

American  

[spring] / sprɪŋ /

verb (used without object)

springs, present (3rd person singular) sprung, past participle, past sprang, past springing present participle

1. to rise, leap, move, or act suddenly and swiftly, as by a sudden dart or thrust forward or outward, or being suddenly released from a coiled or constrained position.

   to spring into the air; a tiger about to spring.

   Synonyms:

   vault, hop, bound, jump

2. to be released from a constrained position, as by resilient or elastic force or from the action of a spring.

   A trap springs. The door sprang open and in he walked.

   Synonyms:

   rebound, recoil

3. to issue forth suddenly, as water, blood, sparks, fire, etc. (often followed by forth, out, orup ).

   Blood sprang from the wound.

   Synonyms:

   fly, dart, shoot

4. to come into being, rise, or arise within a short time (usually followed byup ).

   Industries sprang up in the suburbs.

   Synonyms:

   originate, start

5. to come into being by growth, as from a seed or germ, bulb, root, etc.; grow, as plants.

6. to proceed or originate from a specific source or cause.

   Synonyms:

   flow, issue, emanate, emerge

7. to have as one's birth or lineage; be descended, as from a person, family, stock, etc.; come from.

   to spring from ancient aristocracy.

8. to rise or extend upward, as a spire.

9. to take an upward course or curve from a point of support, as an arch.

10. to come or appear suddenly, as if at a bound.

    An objection sprang to mind.

11. to start or rise from cover, as a pheasant, woodcock, or the like.

12. to become bent or warped, as boards.

    Synonyms:

    warp, bend

13. to shift or work loose, as parts of a mechanism, structure, etc..

    The board sprang from the fence during the storm.

14. to explode, as a mine.

15. Archaic. to begin to appear, as day, light, etc.; dawn.

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verb (used with object)

springs, present (3rd person singular) sprung, past participle, past sprang, past springing present participle

1. to cause to spring.

2. to cause to fly back, move, or act, as by resiliency, elastic force, a spring, etc..

   to spring a lock.

3. to cause to shift out of place, work loose, warp, split, or crack.

   Moisture sprang the board from the fence.

4. to split or crack.

   The ship sprang its keel on a rock.

5. to develop by or as by splitting or cracking.

   The boat sprang a leak.

6. to bend by force, or force in by bending, as a resilient slat or bar.

7. to stretch or bend (a spring or other resilient device) beyond its elastic tolerance.

   This clip has been sprung.

8. to bring out, disclose, produce, make, etc., suddenly.

   to spring a joke.

9. to leap over.

10. Slang. to secure the release of (someone) from confinement, as of jail, military service, or the like.

11. Nautical. to move (a vessel) into or out of a berth by pulling on the offshore end of a warp made fast to the pier.

12. to explode (a mine).

noun

springs plural

1. a leap, jump, or bound.

2. a sudden movement caused by the release of something elastic.

3. an elastic or bouncing quality.

   There is a spring in his walk.

4. elasticity or resilience.

   This board has spring in it.

   Synonyms:

   buoyancy, resilience

5. a structural defect or injury caused by a warp, crack, etc.

6. an issue of water from the earth, taking the form, on the surface, of a small stream or standing as a pool or small lake.

7. the place of such an issue.

   mineral springs.

8. a source or fountainhead of something.

   a spring of inspiration.

   Synonyms:

   head, origin

9. an elastic contrivance or body, as a strip or wire of steel coiled spirally, that recovers its shape after being compressed, bent, or stretched.

10. the season between winter and summer: in the Northern Hemisphere from the vernal equinox to the summer solstice; in the Southern Hemisphere from the autumnal equinox to the winter solstice.

11. (in temperate zones) the season of the year following winter and characterized by the budding of trees, growth of plants, the onset of warmer weather, etc.

12. the first stage and freshest period.

    the spring of life.

13. sometimes initial capital letter. a period of growth, recovery, or regeneration (usually used in combination).

    signs of an economic spring.

14. usually initial capital letter.

    1. a popular movement calling for liberal reforms and opposing authoritarian restrictions on freedom and information access (usually used in combination).

       the brief Seoul Spring of 1979–80; the Academic Spring’s goal of free access to published research.

    2. a period of liberalization or democratization.

15. Nautical.

    1. warp.

    2. a line from the quarter of a vessel to an anchor on the bottom, used to hold the vessel at its mooring, broadside to the current.

16. Also called springing.  Architecture.

    1. the point at which an arch or dome rises from its support.

    2. the rise or the angle of the rise of an arch.

17. Archaic. the dawn, as of day, light, etc.

adjective

1. of, pertaining to, characteristic of, or suitable for the season of spring.

   spring flowers.

   Synonyms:

   vernal

2. resting on or containing mechanical springs.

verb phrase

1. spring for to pay for; treat someone to.

spring British  

/ sprɪŋ /

verb

1. to move or cause to move suddenly upwards or forwards in a single motion

2. to release or be released from a forced position by elastic force

   the bolt sprang back

3. (tr) to leap or jump over

4. (intr) to come, issue, or arise suddenly

5. (intr) (of a part of a mechanism, etc) to jump out of place

6. to make (wood, etc) warped or split or (of wood, etc) to become warped or split

7. to happen or cause to happen unexpectedly

   to spring a surprise

   the boat sprung a leak

8. (intr) to develop or originate

   the idea sprang from a chance meeting

9. to be descended

   he sprang from peasant stock

10. to come into being or appear suddenly

    factories springing up

11. (tr) (of a gun dog) to rouse (game) from cover

12. (intr) (of game or quarry) to start or rise suddenly from cover

13. (intr) to appear to have a strong upward movement

    the beam springs away from the pillar

14. to explode (a mine) or (of a mine) to explode

15. (tr) to provide with a spring or springs

16. informal (tr) to arrange the escape of (someone) from prison

17. archaic (intr) (of daylight or dawn) to begin to appear

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noun

1. the act or an instance of springing

2. a leap, jump, or bound

3. 1. the quality of resilience; elasticity

   2. ( as modifier )

      spring steel

4. the act or an instance of moving rapidly back from a position of tension

5. 1. a natural outflow of ground water, as forming the source of a stream

   2. ( as modifier )

      spring water

6. 1. a device, such as a coil or strip of steel, that stores potential energy when it is compressed, stretched, or bent and releases it when the restraining force is removed

   2. ( as modifier )

      a spring mattress

7. a structural defect such as a warp or bend

8. 1. (sometimes capital) the season of the year between winter and summer, astronomically from the March equinox to the June solstice in the N hemisphere and from the September equinox to the December solstice in the S hemisphere

   2. ( as modifier )

      spring showers

9. the earliest or freshest time of something

10. a source or origin

11. one of a set of strips of rubber, steel, etc, running down the inside of the handle of a cricket bat, hockey stick, etc

12. Also called: spring line.  nautical a mooring line, usually one of a pair that cross amidships

13. a flock of teal

14. architect another name for springing

spring Scientific  

/ sprĭng /

1. A device, such as a coil of wire, that returns to its original shape after being compressed or stretched. Because of their ability to return to their original shape, springs are used to store energy, as in mechanical clocks, and to absorb or lessen energy, as in the suspension system of vehicles.

2. A small stream of water flowing naturally from the Earth.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• underspring
  noun
• respring
  verb
• outspring
  verb (used with object)
• underspring
  verb (used without object)
• springless
  adjective
• springlike
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• springs
  plural

Participles

• springing
  present
• sprung
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• spring
  simple
• springs
  simple
• have sprung
  perfect
• has sprung
  perfect
• am springing
  progressive
• are springing
  progressive
• is springing
  progressive
• have been springing
  perfect progressive
• has been springing
  perfect progressive

Past

• sprang
  simple
• sprung
  simple
• had sprung
  perfect
• was springing
  progressive
• were springing
  progressive
• had been springing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will spring
  simple
• will have sprung
  perfect
• will be springing
  progressive
• will have been springing
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of spring

First recorded before 900; (for the verb) Middle English springen, Old English springan; cognate with Dutch, German springen, Old Norse springa; (for the noun) Middle English spring(e), Old English spring, spryng “issue of a stream”; compare Middle Low German, Old High German, Danish, Swedish spring

Explanation

There's nothing like sitting on a sharp tack to make you spring out of your chair. The verb spring means to leap or bounce up suddenly. When you spring, you jump abruptly. In fact, your body acts like another definition of spring, "a coil of metal that bounces back when pushed." The Old English springan, "to leap, burst forth, or fly up," is the root of spring, and most uses of the word are clearly connected to that origin. Even when an idea springs to mind, or you spring bad news on someone, the thoughts seem to leap forward.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

spring springs sprang sprung springing

According to Der Spiegel, Ballout told the Berlin court this spring that he had distanced himself from extremist ideology and violence.

From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026

This past spring, swimming was banned three times at Huntington Beach due to sharks deemed to be aggressive.

From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026

In the same April letter, the ministry pulled the permit for the DJI drone that it had granted in March, the start of the spring climbing season.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026

By spring 2025, the team had a rudimentary product to identify users pursuing biological weapons.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026

I repeat what I told Dad last spring, and then again after Mom and I went to the info night that he couldn’t, or rather wouldn’t, come to.

From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam

She said her commitment to practicing springs from childhood clumsiness—it always took her longer to grasp new movements and techniques than some of her peers.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026

And there is also increased concern about a tiny snail found only around superheated springs on the ocean floor.

From BBC ● Jul. 9, 2026

The Iliad has these big, overstuffed couches and chairs with blown springs.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 19, 2026

In a reminder that hope springs eternal: performing arts promoter Martin Elbourne, who founded the festival, points to the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989.

From Barron's ● Jun. 15, 2026

Slopper looked skeptical until Chi-Boy sat on it, tested the springs by bouncing a bit, and then lay down with an exaggerated sigh, folding his hands behind his head.

From "The Marrow Thieves" by Cherie Dimaline

In 1942, when one of the leaders of the House Un-American Activities Committee baselessly accused the famous educator and civil rights activist Mary McLeod Bethune of being a communist, Smith sprang into action.

From Salon ● Jul. 27, 2026

When attackers retrained models on dangerous knowledge, capabilities removed by conventional unlearning sprang back to nearly full strength.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026

After a largely dull opening 18 minutes, Glasgow sprang to life with a slick move that set Dempsey free up the touchline.

From BBC ● May 8, 2026

When the Palisades fire erupted, Vein sprang into action.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 5, 2026

As the Pacific Plate slipped westward, the North American Plate sprang back toward its original shape.

From "Meltdown" by Deirdre Langeland

PC Harper's mother, Debbie Adlam, said the release of Jessie Cole and Albert Bowers - two of the passengers in the getaway car which killed Harper - was "sprung" on her family.

From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026

Relief workers are also worried about water contamination and disease spreading in refugee camps that have sprung up around La Guaira and Caracas.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 11, 2026

A makeshift memorial for Salgado sprung up at the location of the shooting, with dozens of people visiting the site to pay their respects Friday.

From Barron's ● Jul. 10, 2026

The bad news is my waders have just sprung a leak.

From BBC ● Jun. 30, 2026

“The roof of Ashton Place seems to have sprung a leak,” she thought, still in a deep doze.

From "The Unseen Guest" by Maryrose Wood

But the more unavailable your manager is, the less likely they will be looking for you — or springing a last-minute assignment on you.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 30, 2026

The field is more crowded now, with Bowlero, Top Golf, and other eat-and-play concepts springing up in many of the same areas.

From Slate ● Jun. 25, 2026

While luxury hotels are springing up in Ashgabat and Avaza, the main seaside resort on the Caspian Sea, the rest of the country is poorly equipped for visitors.

From Barron's ● Jun. 23, 2026

"There hasn't been that visible community policing that might have in the past deterred these very obvious shops from springing up."

From BBC ● Jun. 7, 2026

The girl was quick to show emotion, her tears springing out in a matter of seconds, and Moss didn’t blame her.

From "Anger Is a Gift" by Mark Oshiro