1
: an involuntary and abnormal muscular contraction
2
: a sudden violent and temporary effort, emotion, or sensation
a spasm of creativity
spasms of pain
spasm
intransitive verb
Examples of spasm in a Sentence
a disease that causes muscle spasms
He was racked with coughing spasms.
She was suffering spasms of guilt.
Recent Examples on the Web
The lesions caused Curtis to suffer from muscle spasms, paralysis, a chronic limp and headaches.
—
Caroline Blair, People.com, 14 July 2025
Heavily abusing nitrous oxide can degrade one's central nervous system, leading to muscle weakness or spasms.
—Bradley Hohulin, IndyStar, 2 July 2025
Diaphragmatic spasm — getting the wind knocked out of you
Felinophobia — fear of cats.
—Scott Lafee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 June 2025
First Aid: Apply firm pressure on cramping muscles or gently massage to relieve spasm.
—Gillian Stawiszynski, Cincinnati Enquirer, 20 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for spasm
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.
Caroline Blair, People.com, 14 July 2025
Heavily abusing nitrous oxide can degrade one's central nervous system, leading to muscle weakness or spasms.
—Bradley Hohulin, IndyStar, 2 July 2025
Diaphragmatic spasm — getting the wind knocked out of you
Felinophobia — fear of cats.
—Scott Lafee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 June 2025
First Aid: Apply firm pressure on cramping muscles or gently massage to relieve spasm.
—Gillian Stawiszynski, Cincinnati Enquirer, 20 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for spasm
Cite this Entry
“Spasm.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/spasm. Accessed 19 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
spasm
noun1
: a sudden uncontrolled contracting of muscles
back spasms
2
: a sudden violent and temporary effort, emotion, or outburst
a spasm of creativity
spasm
verb
Medical Definition
spasm
noun1
: an involuntary and abnormal contraction of muscle or muscle fibers or of a hollow organ (as an artery, the colon, or the esophagus) that consists largely of involuntary muscle fibers
2
: the state or condition of a muscle or organ affected with spasms
the renal artery went into spasm
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share