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
Bryan Toporek, Forbes, 10 Mar. 2025
Monk has missed the past two games with a right toe sprain.
—Jason Anderson, Sacramento Bee, 9 Mar. 2025
Faisal Kutty, Newsweek, 11 Mar. 2025
Rodriguez, the organization’s No. 2 and the No. 37 overall prospect per MLB Pipeline, sprained his ankle early in camp, which kept him out of Grapefruit League games.
—Betsy Helfand, Twin Cities, 10 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sprain
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Noun
Gafford joined him on the sideline shortly thereafter with a right knee sprain.
—Bryan Toporek, Forbes, 10 Mar. 2025
Monk has missed the past two games with a right toe sprain.
—Jason Anderson, Sacramento Bee, 9 Mar. 2025
Verb
The Knicks are likely to be without star point guard Jalen Brunson, who sprained his ankle late in the loss to the Lakers.
—Faisal Kutty, Newsweek, 11 Mar. 2025
Rodriguez, the organization’s No. 2 and the No. 37 overall prospect per MLB Pipeline, sprained his ankle early in camp, which kept him out of Grapefruit League games.
—Betsy Helfand, Twin Cities, 10 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sprain
Cite this Entry
“Sprain.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sprain. Accessed 19 Mar. 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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