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
He has not played since Jan. 14 because of a Grade 1 sprain of his right big toe.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 3, 2026
“Don’t sprain it any more. Now take your money back. You’re not a fool, Samuel, unless you’re getting childish.”
From "East of Eden" by John Steinbeck
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
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
Stafford endured broken bones, sprains, elbow issues, concussions, spinal contusions and other injuries throughout his 15-year career.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 15, 2024
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
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
Injured Rockets star Kevin Durant, who missed the game with a bone bruise in his sprained left ankle, waved goodbye from the Rockets bench.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 27, 2026
Reyne had sprained his ankle packing, plus his shoe got stolen, he said, so the sidewalk was as far as he had gotten.
From Slate ● Mar. 25, 2026
“Aw, I just sprained it when I tried to ride my bike in the mud. I was trying to get ready for the first motocross race this spring.”
From "Ralph S. Mouse" by Beverly Cleary
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
Jets left tackle Mekhi Becton was inactive after spraining an ankle in Buffalo last Sunday.
From Washington Times ● Nov. 24, 2023
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
But what about mussing their dresses, what about spraining their ankles on high heels?
From "In the Time of the Butterflies" by Julia Alvarez
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.
