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spring-loaded

American

[spring-loh-did] / ˈsprɪŋˈloʊ dɪd /

adjective

(of a machine part) kept normally in a certain position by a spring.

a spring-loaded safety valve.

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:

spring-loaded

Researchers say the species uses a powerful spring-loaded silk trap to capture a single type of prey, catching one ant at a time in what they describe as "the ultimate specialization."

From Science Daily ● Jun. 26, 2026

In the lower right of the steering wheel, the metallic, spring-loaded Manettino selector engages one of five drive modes, including Sport mode and Electronic Stability Control Off.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 18, 2026

The story’s romance is appropriately spring-loaded with improbability.

From Washington Post ● Mar. 28, 2023

There was a whoosh of air as the spring-loaded gate valve opened.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 1, 2023

I was stuffing the cups into their spring-loaded dispenser when Trent Bolger’s hyena laugh rang through the open doorway.

From "Darius the Great Is Not Okay" by Adib Khorram

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023