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
C.j. Holmes, New York Daily News, 9 Jan. 2025
Murray and Williamson are still waiting to play their first minutes with Trey Murphy III, who sat out Tuesday with a left ankle sprain.
—William Guillory, The Athletic, 8 Jan. 2025
Chris Johnston, The Athletic, 10 Jan. 2025
Two days after that Commanders loss, Dalton was in a minor car accident, sprained his right thumb, and Young was launched back in the starting spot.
—Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 8 Jan. 2025
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Noun
The Nets were also without Cam Thomas (left hamstring strain), Cam Johnson (right ankle sprain), D’Angelo Russell (right shin contusion), Trendon Watford (left hamstring strain) and Maxwell Lewis (left tibia fracture) against the Pistons.
—C.j. Holmes, New York Daily News, 9 Jan. 2025
Murray and Williamson are still waiting to play their first minutes with Trey Murphy III, who sat out Tuesday with a left ankle sprain.
—William Guillory, The Athletic, 8 Jan. 2025
Verb
Another player to monitor closely is Erik Haula, who recently sprained his ankle and is expected to be sidelined for a couple of weeks.
—Chris Johnston, The Athletic, 10 Jan. 2025
Two days after that Commanders loss, Dalton was in a minor car accident, sprained his right thumb, and Young was launched back in the starting spot.
—Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 8 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for sprain
Dictionary Entries Near sprain
Cite this Entry
“Sprain.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sprain. Accessed 20 Jan. 2025.
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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