cramp

¹ American  

[kramp] / kræmp /

noun

1. Often cramps

   1. a sudden, involuntary, spasmodic contraction of a muscle or group of muscles, especially of the extremities, sometimes with severe pain.

   2. a piercing pain in the abdomen.

   3. 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.

2. writer's cramp.

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verb (used with object)

1. to affect with or as if with a cramp.

cramp ² American  

[kramp] / kræmp /

noun

1. cramp iron.

2. a portable frame or tool with a movable part that can be screwed up to hold things together; clamp.

3. anything that confines or restrains.

4. a cramped state or part.

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verb (used with object)

1. to fasten or hold with a cramp.

2. to confine narrowly; restrict; restrain; hamper.

3. to turn (the front wheels of a motor vehicle) by means of the steering gear; steer.

adjective

1. cramped.

idioms

1. cramp one's style, to prevent one from showing one's best abilities.

cramp ¹ British  

/ kræmp /

noun

1. Also called: cramp iron.  a strip of metal with its ends bent at right angles, used to bind masonry

2. a device for holding pieces of wood while they are glued; clamp

3. something that confines or restricts

4. a confined state or position

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verb

1. to secure or hold with a cramp

2. to confine, hamper, or restrict

3. informal to prevent a person from using his abilities or acting freely and confidently

cramp ² British  

/ kræmp /

noun

1. a painful involuntary contraction of a muscle, typically caused by overexertion, heat, or chill

2. temporary partial paralysis of a muscle group

   writer's cramp

3. (usually plural in the US and Canada) severe abdominal pain

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verb

1. (tr) to affect with or as if with a cramp

Other Word Forms

• crampingly
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of cramp¹

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English crampe, from Old French, from Germanic; cognate with Middle Dutch crampe, Old Saxon krampo, Old High German krampfo; derivative of an adjective meaning “narrow, constrained, bent”; compare Old High German krampf, Old Norse krappr; akin to crimp ¹

Origin of cramp²

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English crampe, crompe, from Middle Dutch; see cramp ¹

Explanation

When a muscle in your body tenses up painfully, it's a cramp. If you get a cramp in your leg when you're swimming, you have to stop and stretch out the muscle until the cramp goes away. Muscle cramps are a side effect of exercise and fatigue, and they can often be avoided by stretching before and after a run or a game of basketball. Cramp is also a verb, meaning both "contract painfully," and also "hold back, or prevent free movement." This is what you mean when you say, "Mom, please don't walk me in to school — you'll cramp my style."

Example Sentences

Slot clarified later that the 17-year-old had cramp.

From BBC • May 9, 2026

The limits can cramp longtime residents who may want to move but are tied to a home for the property-tax savings, he added.

From MarketWatch • May 1, 2026

British junior Hollie Smart was among the early starters and had to retire from her first-round match after also suffering cramp.

From BBC • Jan. 24, 2026

"It was hot today, I started to cramp a little bit in the third set," he said.

From Barron's • Jan. 24, 2026

But despite the cramp, its great charm, magnified by Odile’s decorative sense, gave it a cheerful, if not playful, spirit.

From "Double Helix" by James D. Watson

Related Words

• ache
• constipation
• contraction
• convulsion
• pain
• stiffness
• twinge