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
Tim Casey, Forbes.com, 30 May 2025
He’s had to carry the weight up top with Rafael Navarro out with a high ankle sprain.
—Braidon Nourse, Denver Post, 25 May 2025
Joe Vardon, New York Times, 10 May 2025
Kristaps Porzingis exited with an illness in the second quarter, Sam Hauser sprained his ankle in the first, and Boston shot just 15-of-60 from deep — a brutal 25% — to start the series.
—Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 6 May 2025
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
Forward Aaron Nesmith, who had 30 points and made 8 3’s in Game 1, had 3 points on 1 of 8 field goals and only played 15:52 as he was limited with a right ankle sprain.
—Tim Casey, Forbes.com, 30 May 2025
He’s had to carry the weight up top with Rafael Navarro out with a high ankle sprain.
—Braidon Nourse, Denver Post, 25 May 2025
Verb
Statistically speaking, Mobley, whose left foot was in a walking boot Sunday night and Monday after spraining his ankle in the fourth quarter of Game 1, was the best of the three returnees with 18 points, 13 rebounds, four assists, three blocks and three steals.
—Joe Vardon, New York Times, 10 May 2025
Kristaps Porzingis exited with an illness in the second quarter, Sam Hauser sprained his ankle in the first, and Boston shot just 15-of-60 from deep — a brutal 25% — to start the series.
—Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 6 May 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 5 Jun. 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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share