cramp
1Often cramps .
a sudden, involuntary, spasmodic contraction of a muscle or group of muscles, especially of the extremities, sometimes with severe pain.
a piercing pain in the abdomen.
an intermittent, painful contraction of structures of a wall containing involuntary muscle, as in biliary colic or in the uterine contractions of menstruation or of labor.
to affect with or as if with a cramp.
Origin of cramp
1Words Nearby cramp
Other definitions for cramp (2 of 2)
a portable frame or tool with a movable part that can be screwed up to hold things together; clamp.
anything that confines or restrains.
a cramped state or part.
to turn (the front wheels of a motor vehicle) by means of the steering gear; steer.
Origin of cramp
2Other words from cramp
- cramp·ing·ly, adverb
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use cramp in a sentence
The residents of Çatalhöyük appear to have copied the cramped passages of natural caves.
An Ancient Site with Human Skulls on Display - Issue 89: The Dark Side | Jo Marchant | September 2, 2020 | NautilusInstead, a rival theory blaming cramps on “altered neuromuscular control” first proposed in the 1990s by Martin Schwellnus, a sports physician at the University of Cape Town in South Africa, has been gaining support.
Schwellnus himself warned that muscle cramps are a complex phenomenon with many different contributing factors, so we shouldn’t expect a simple solution.
What we’re left with is a search for factors we can control that might influence cramp risk.
This punctures the idea that cramps are a punishment for bad pacing.
Cast: Tyler Christopher, Isabella cramp, Jami Gertz, Tim Jo, Toks Olagundoye, Simon Templeman, Lenny Venito.
TV Preview: Snap Judgments of 2012-13’s New Shows | Jace Lacob, Maria Elena Fernandez | June 12, 2012 | THE DAILY BEASTIf Prince Harry is back on again with Chelsy Davy, he's not letting it cramp his style.
Madame Ratignolle begged Robert to accompany her to the house; she complained of cramp in her limbs and stiffness of the joints.
The Awakening and Selected Short Stories | Kate ChopinJack nodded with a strange, twisted little smile, as if he were suffering from cramp in the legs.
With Edged Tools | Henry Seton Merriman“Ah, my dear, you careless young people make jokes of things that would fret us old ones to fiddle-strings,” reproved Mrs. cramp.
Johnny Ludlow, Fourth Series | Mrs. Henry WoodThe darkness and chill began to tell upon me, and an agonising cramp contracted my legs.
Yorkshire Oddities, Incidents and Strange Events | S. Baring-GouldWhen the cramp left me, I cast myself off again, and dropped below the ledge.
Yorkshire Oddities, Incidents and Strange Events | S. Baring-Gould
British Dictionary definitions for cramp (1 of 2)
/ (kræmp) /
a painful involuntary contraction of a muscle, typically caused by overexertion, heat, or chill
temporary partial paralysis of a muscle group: writer's cramp
(usually plural in the US and Canada) severe abdominal pain
(tr) to affect with or as if with a cramp
Origin of cramp
1British Dictionary definitions for cramp (2 of 2)
/ (kræmp) /
Also called: cramp iron a strip of metal with its ends bent at right angles, used to bind masonry
a device for holding pieces of wood while they are glued; clamp
something that confines or restricts
a confined state or position
to secure or hold with a cramp
to confine, hamper, or restrict
cramp someone's style informal to prevent a person from using his abilities or acting freely and confidently
Origin of cramp
2Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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