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

  • It sort of makes sense, given the sprains, fractures, and bruises that have dominated the sport for so long.

  • All sprains (a twist or straining of a joint) should promptly be put into a very hot bath and held there for thirty minutes.

    The Mother and Her Child | William S. Sadler
  • Sprains treated as above directed will often liberate the child in one-third the usual time generally allotted for its healing.

    The Mother and Her Child | William S. Sadler
  • Bobby may have been run over by a cart and got internal injuries, but I'm thinking it's just sprains and bruises from a bad fall.

    Greyfriars Bobby | Eleanor Atkinson
  • It has one advantage over tying people up by the hands, as it prevents all accidents from sprains in the thumbs or wrists.

    Fifty Years in Chains | Charles Ball
  • Men thrown from their horses suffered severe sprains and broken bones.

    South from Hudson Bay | E. C. [Ethel Claire] Brill

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