sprain

[ spreyn ]
See synonyms for sprain on Thesaurus.com
verb (used with object)
  1. to overstrain or wrench (the ligaments of an ankle, wrist, or other joint) so as to injure without fracture or dislocation.

noun
  1. a violent straining or wrenching of the parts around a joint, without dislocation.

  2. the condition of being sprained.

Origin of sprain

1
First recorded in 1595–1605; origin uncertain

synonym study For sprain

1. See strain1.

Other words for sprain

Other words from sprain

  • un·sprained, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use sprain in a sentence

  • Christian Science nor mind cure wasn't invented then, or I should of used 'em, and said my ankle wasn't sprained.

    The Cromptons | Mary J. Holmes
  • Swelled as big as two laigs, just as mine was twenty years ago come Christmas, when I sprained it.

    The Cromptons | Mary J. Holmes
  • About ten days ago, the baby died, while I was laid up at camp with a sprained hip.

    The White Desert | Courtney Ryley Cooper
  • He sprained his ankle on the way down, but he turned up on parade with it next day hideously swollen.

    The Cradle of Mankind | W.A. Wigram
  • He was suffering from a sprained ankle and a badly bruised arm, and was exhausted from want of food.

British Dictionary definitions for sprain

sprain

/ (spreɪn) /


verb
  1. (tr) to injure (a joint) by a sudden twisting or wrenching of its ligaments

noun
  1. the resulting injury to such a joint, characterized by swelling and temporary disability

Origin of sprain

1
C17: of uncertain origin

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012