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
Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 13 Apr. 2025
The team also has ruled out Jalen Williams (right hip strain), Alex Caruso (right ankle sprain), Luguentz Dort (right patellofemoral), and Isaiah Hartenstein (left achilles tendinitis).
—David Faris, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 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
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Noun
With Korey Lee out with a left ankle sprain, the Sox last week opted to call up Omar Narváez instead of prime catching prospect Edgar Quero, who has a .906 OPS at Triple-A Charlotte.
—Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 13 Apr. 2025
The team also has ruled out Jalen Williams (right hip strain), Alex Caruso (right ankle sprain), Luguentz Dort (right patellofemoral), and Isaiah Hartenstein (left achilles tendinitis).
—David Faris, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 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 19 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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