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
Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 16 May 2026
Left-hander Robby Snelling, who allowed three runs in five innings of his big-league debut against Washington last Friday, is out indefinitely after sustaining a UCL sprain in his left elbow.
—Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 14 May 2026
Jen McCaffrey, New York Times, 16 May 2026
The 24-year-old Cardoso sprained his ankle during training last week.
—ABC News, 11 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for sprain
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Noun
The 23-year-old Domínguez landed on the IL with a shoulder AC joint sprain on May 8 after a hard collision into the left-field wall.
—Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 16 May 2026
Left-hander Robby Snelling, who allowed three runs in five innings of his big-league debut against Washington last Friday, is out indefinitely after sustaining a UCL sprain in his left elbow.
—Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 14 May 2026
Verb
Anthony sprained a ligament in his ring finger, which makes gripping a bat difficult.
—Jen McCaffrey, New York Times, 16 May 2026
The 24-year-old Cardoso sprained his ankle during training last week.
—ABC News, 11 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for sprain
Cite this Entry
“Sprain.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sprain. Accessed 21 May. 2026.
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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
