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
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.
Sprint qualifying takes place at 07:30 UK time.
From BBC • Mar. 13, 2026
Ka Ying Rising had equalled Silent Witness's 17-win record, set back in 2005, when barely extended in the 1,200m Group One Centenary Sprint Cup at Sha Tin last month.
From Barron's • Feb. 22, 2026
The company wasn’t always known for network quality, but it spent heavily on 5G investments, both through its deal for Sprint and with other spectrum purchases.
From MarketWatch • Feb. 11, 2026
Bentornato finished second in last year’s Sprint, losing to Straight No Chaser, who finished seventh on Saturday.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 1, 2025
He’s even been pairing up with Lara instead of me in Sky Sprint training.
From "Amari and the Night Brothers" by B.B. Alston
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.
