sprint
Americanverb (used without object)
verb (used with object)
noun
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a short race at full speed.
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a burst of speed at any point during a long race, as near the finish line.
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a brief spell of great activity.
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a short work cycle of fixed length during which specific goals, tasks, etc., need to be completed by a team: often used in agile development.
noun
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athletics a short race run at top speed, such as the 100 metres
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a fast finishing speed at the end of a longer race, as in running or cycling, etc
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any quick run
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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sprintsimple
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sprintssimple
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have sprintedperfect
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has sprintedperfect
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am sprintingprogressive
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are sprintingprogressive
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is sprintingprogressive
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have been sprintingperfect progressive
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has been sprintingperfect progressive
Past
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sprintedsimple
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had sprintedperfect
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was sprintingprogressive
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were sprintingprogressive
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had been sprintingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of sprint
First recorded in 1560–70; perhaps continuing Old English sprintan (unrecorded; compare gesprintan “to emit”); cognate with Old Norse spretta, Old High German sprinzan “to jump up”
Explanation
When you run really fast, you sprint. You and your sister might sprint to the bus stop, racing to see who can get there first. In the sport of track and field, a sprint is a short race that's run at top speed the whole way. Two professional cyclists also sprint when they race on bikes that start out side-by-side. If you notice a swarm of angry wasps heading your direction, you can sprint indoors, hoping you move faster than they do. Sprint has a Scandinavian root, possibly the Old Norse word spretta, "to jump up."
Vocabulary lists containing sprint
"Seventh Grade" by Gary Soto
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Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
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Vocabulary from the Poem “Touchscreen” by Marshall Davis Jones
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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.
Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton led the way in practice at the British Grand Prix before sprint qualifying later on Friday.
From BBC • Jul. 3, 2026
The sprint race at Silverstone takes place at 12:00 BST on Saturday.
From BBC • Jul. 3, 2026
The sprint back to Mexico, however, would remain unchanged.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 22, 2026
She’s late, and the film makes a hysterical cut to Maddie in a near-dead sprint, trying to make it to work on time.
From Salon • Jun. 22, 2026
The late bell rings, and the last people in the parking lot sprint for the door.
From "Wintergirls" by Laurie Halse Anderson
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.
