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:
Without Brink, who remains out after suffering an ankle sprain against Golden State, the Sparks were glad to have Plum back.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 22, 2026
All-American Yaxel Lendeborg, gutting out a knee sprain, added 13.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 7, 2026
He had surgery on his left knee that cut his final season at Arkansas short while he also missed six weeks with an MLC sprain in his right knee.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 25, 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
“You’re lucky his hand isn’t broken. It was a sprain, his mother said. The thumb. Still, it’ll be two weeks before he can get back.”
From "Burning Blue" by Paul Griffin
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
She said that although it was “probably one of the worst sprains I’ve ever dealt with,” it is “very reasonable” that she could be back to 5-on-5 play by the end of October.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2025
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
Or they didn’t think that the city should be burning tens of millions of dollars to send fire trucks “to every overdose, every sprained ankle, every toothache,” as Mr. Pratt has said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 7, 2026
Captain Radko Gudas sprained his ankle in the Ducks’ playoff opener and didn’t return to the lineup, but he would have been available if Anaheim had advanced to another round.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 21, 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
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
“Two weeks from school for a sprained thumb?”
From "Burning Blue" by Paul Griffin
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
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
She hasn’t played for the U.S. since spraining her right knee following the World Cup.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 18, 2023
I got to my feet: minor spraining of the sub ... trans ... damn, what was that called?
From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss
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.
