spasm

American  

[spaz-uhm] / ˈspæz əm /

noun

spasms plural

1. Pathology. a sudden, abnormal, involuntary muscular contraction, consisting of a continued muscular contraction tonic spasm or of a series of alternating muscular contractions and relaxations clonic spasm.

2. any sudden, brief spell of great energy, activity, feeling, etc.

   Synonyms:

   spurt, flash, storm, fit

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verb (used without object)

1. to undergo a spasm or spasms.

   Her eyesight had changed, and tests showed the muscles that allow the eye to focus were spasming.

spasm British  

/ ˈspæzəm /

noun

1. an involuntary muscular contraction, esp one resulting in cramp or convulsion

2. a sudden burst of activity, emotion, etc

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• spasms
  plural

Etymology

Origin of spasm

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English spasme, spasom, from Old French (e)spasme and Latin spasmus, from Greek spasmós “convulsion,” derivative of spân “to draw (a sword), pull out, tear out, suck in, slurp down”

Explanation

A spasm is a sudden constriction of a muscle or blood vessel. This idea can be generalized to anything that occurs suddenly and lasts a short while. Except for a brief spasm of yard work, you had a perfectly lazy Sunday. The Greeks had a word called spasmós, which meant "to cramp or convulse." It also meant "to tear away or violently pull," which, if you've ever suffered a muscle spasm you know is a good definition. The word had a physical meaning up until around 1817, when it came to include the abstract. When you were invited to go hiking in the redwood forest, you could hardly control your spasms of joy. Make sure you stretch before hiking, so you don't get muscle spasms.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

spasm spasms

One wonders what carnage he could have caused at Lord's had he not been hampered by a back spasm.

From BBC ● Jun. 21, 2026

While my vocal cords spasm apart, his spasm together; while my voice gets soft and whispery, his voice is tight and gravelly.

From Slate ● Apr. 18, 2026

And amid a spasm of bricks-and-mortar bankruptcies driven in part by e-commerce, retail employment fell by a quarter-million between 2017 and late 2019.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 27, 2026

Salt missed Tuesday's third T20 against Sri Lanka with a back spasm but trained successfully on Friday and will take his place at the top of the order.

From Barron's ● Feb. 7, 2026

I massage a spasm from my hamstring as I march past the twelfth floor, and try to recover some of my lost air.

From "Insurgent" by Veronica Roth

The Canadian rock duo make up Angine de Poitrine, which translates from French to angina pectoris — a condition of chest pressure caused by spasms of the heart.

From Salon ● Jun. 5, 2026

Tyler Glasnow is back to square one in his recovery from back spasms.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 19, 2026

In 2022, Dion canceled her North America tour due to muscle spasms.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 30, 2026

MS is an incurable condition which affects the brain and spinal cord and causes symptoms such as vision problems, fatigue, clumsiness, muscle spasms and urinary problems.

From BBC ● Mar. 19, 2026

At last the pent-up tension exploded: Cocky burst into spasms of high hysterical laughter.

From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom

Related Words

• contraction
• convulsion
• eruption
• outburst
• pain
• paroxysm
• seizure