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
Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 26 Apr. 2025
The Knicks finally found the right balance of Brunson making plays for himself and relying on his teammates — the same teammates who kept New York afloat while the captain was out with a right ankle sprain.
—Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 25 Apr. 2025
Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 11 Apr. 2025
And in Wednesday’s loss to the Clippers, Cam Payne sprained his right ankle less than three minutes into the game.
—Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 27 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sprain
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Noun
Garland, who was initially listed as questionable for Game 3, was ruled out for Saturday’s contest about 30 minutes before tipoff because of a left big toe sprain.
—Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 26 Apr. 2025
The Knicks finally found the right balance of Brunson making plays for himself and relying on his teammates — the same teammates who kept New York afloat while the captain was out with a right ankle sprain.
—Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 25 Apr. 2025
Verb
Larsson sprained his right ankle while going through his usual pregame weightlifting session on Wednesday and couldn’t play against the Bulls.
—Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 11 Apr. 2025
And in Wednesday’s loss to the Clippers, Cam Payne sprained his right ankle less than three minutes into the game.
—Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 27 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 30 Apr. 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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