1
: a sudden or violent twist or wrench of a joint with stretching or tearing of ligaments
2
: a sprained condition
sprained; spraining; sprains
: to injure by a sudden or severe twist
Examples of sprain in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Jennifer Steinhoff, Verywell Health, 22 Oct. 2024
Despite serving as a source of inspiration, Freeman said the sprain began to take a toll on his performance.
—Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2024
Bernie Pleskoff, Forbes, 20 Oct. 2024
Curry, 36, sprained his right index finger during practice on Thursday, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said.
—Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 18 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for sprain 
Noun
Muscle sprains occur when the ligaments that connect bone to bone become detached.
—Jennifer Steinhoff, Verywell Health, 22 Oct. 2024
Despite serving as a source of inspiration, Freeman said the sprain began to take a toll on his performance.
—Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2024
Verb
Freeman sprained his ankle September 26, and has struggled since.
—Bernie Pleskoff, Forbes, 20 Oct. 2024
Curry, 36, sprained his right index finger during practice on Thursday, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said.
—Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 18 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for sprain
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'sprain.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near sprain
Cite this Entry
“Sprain.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sprain. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
sprain
1 of 2 noun1
: a sudden or severe twisting of a joint with stretching or tearing of ligaments
2
: a condition that results from a sprain and is usually marked by pain and swelling
sprain
2 of 2 verb
: to injure by a sudden or severe twist
Medical Definition
sprain
1 of 2 noun
: a sudden or violent twist or wrench of a joint causing the stretching or tearing of ligaments and often rupture of blood vessels with hemorrhage into the tissues
also
: the condition resulting from a sprain that is usually marked by swelling, inflammation, hemorrhage, and discoloration compare strain entry 3 sense b
sprain
2 of 2 transitive verb
: to weaken (a joint or ligament) by sudden and violent twisting or wrenching : stretch (ligaments) injuriously without dislocation of the joint
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