| 1. | the act or process of a person or thing that springs. |
| 2. | the mechanical springs or the type or arrangement of springs with which any of various devices are equipped, esp. a vehicle. |
| 3. | Architecture. spring (def. 41). |
verb, sprang or, often, sprung; sprung; spring⋅ing; noun, adjective | 1. | to rise, leap, move, or act suddenly and swiftly, as by a sudden dart or thrust forward or outward, or being suddenly released from a coiled or constrained position: to spring into the air; a tiger about to spring. |
| 2. | to be released from a constrained position, as by resilient or elastic force or from the action of a spring: A trap springs. The door sprang open and in he walked. |
| 3. | to issue forth suddenly, as water, blood, sparks, fire, etc. (often fol. by forth, out, or up): Blood sprang from the wound. |
| 4. | to come into being, rise, or arise within a short time (usually fol. by up): Industries sprang up in the suburbs. |
| 5. | to come into being by growth, as from a seed or germ, bulb, root, etc.; grow, as plants. |
| 6. | to proceed or originate from a specific source or cause. |
| 7. | to have as one's birth or lineage; be descended, as from a person, family, stock, etc.; come from: to spring from ancient aristocracy. |
| 8. | to rise or extend upward, as a spire. |
| 9. | to take an upward course or curve from a point of support, as an arch. |
| 10. | to come or appear suddenly, as if at a bound: An objection sprang to mind. |
| 11. | to start or rise from cover, as a pheasant, woodcock, or the like. |
| 12. | to become bent or warped, as boards. |
| 13. | to shift or work loose, as parts of a mechanism, structure, etc.: The board sprang from the fence during the storm. |
| 14. | to explode, as a mine. |
| 15. | Archaic. to begin to appear, as day, light, etc.; dawn. |
| 16. | to cause to spring. |
| 17. | to cause to fly back, move, or act, as by resiliency, elastic force, a spring, etc.: to spring a lock. |
| 18. | to cause to shift out of place, work loose, warp, split, or crack: Moisture sprang the board from the fence. |
| 19. | to split or crack: The ship sprang its keel on a rock. |
| 20. | to develop by or as by splitting or cracking: The boat sprang a leak. |
| 21. | to bend by force, or force in by bending, as a resilient slat or bar. |
| 22. | to stretch or bend (a spring or other resilient device) beyond its elastic tolerance: This clip has been sprung. |
| 23. | to bring out, disclose, produce, make, etc., suddenly: to spring a joke. |
| 24. | to leap over. |
| 25. | Slang. to secure the release of (someone) from confinement, as of jail, military service, or the like. |
| 26. | Nautical. to move (a vessel) into or out of a berth by pulling on the offshore end of a warp made fast to the pier. |
| 27. | to explode (a mine). |
| 28. | a leap, jump, or bound. |
| 29. | a sudden movement caused by the release of something elastic. |
| 30. | an elastic or bouncing quality: There is a spring in his walk. |
| 31. | elasticity or resilience: This board has spring in it. |
| 32. | a structural defect or injury caused by a warp, crack, etc. |
| 33. | an issue of water from the earth, taking the form, on the surface, of a small stream or standing as a pool or small lake. |
| 34. | the place of such an issue: mineral springs. |
| 35. | a source or fountainhead of something: a spring of inspiration. |
| 36. | an elastic contrivance or body, as a strip or wire of steel coiled spirally, that recovers its shape after being compressed, bent, or stretched. |
| 37. | the season between winter and summer: in the Northern Hemisphere from the vernal equinox to the summer solstice; in the Southern Hemisphere from the autumnal equinox to the winter solstice. |
| 38. | (in temperate zones) the season of the year following winter and characterized by the budding of trees, growth of plants, the onset of warmer weather, etc. |
| 39. | the first stage and freshest period: the spring of life. |
| 40. | Nautical.
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| 41. | Also called springing. Architecture.
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| 42. | Archaic. the dawn, as of day, light, etc. |
| 43. | of, pertaining to, characteristic of, or suitable for the season of spring: spring flowers. |
| 44. | resting on or containing mechanical springs. |
| 45. | spring for, Informal. to pay for; treat someone to. |

,noun, verb, springed, spring⋅ing.| 1. | a snare for catching small game. |
| 2. | to catch in a springe. |
| 3. | to set a springe or springes. |

spring (sprĭng) v. sprang (sprāng) or sprung (sprŭng), sprung, spring·ing, springs v. intr.
[Middle English springen, from Old English springan. N., Middle English springe, from Old English spring, wellspring.] |
spring (so)
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spring (sprĭng) Pronunciation Key
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