1
: an involuntary and abnormal muscular contraction
2
: a sudden violent and temporary effort, emotion, or sensation
a spasm of creativity
spasms of pain
spasm
intransitive verb
Examples of spasm in a Sentence
a disease that causes muscle spasms
He was racked with coughing spasms.
She was suffering spasms of guilt.
Recent Examples on the Web
Episode 5 aired the Sunday after Election Day and conducts itself in rancorous spasms.
—
Wesley Morris Ron Butler Emma Kehlbeck Ted Blaisdell, New York Times, 5 Apr. 2024
Helping with achy muscles as well as spasms, topical CBD solutions have been a great over the counter relief, especially in comparison to taking regular pain relievers.
—Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 3 Apr. 2024
Leonard also left the Minnesota game because of thoracic spasms after taking an elbow in his back the previous game against the Chicago Bulls.
—Janis Carr, Orange County Register, 17 Mar. 2024
Leonard, who exited Tuesday’s loss to Minnesota because of back spasms, made 12 of 17 shots.
—Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 15 Mar. 2024
In addition to missing Rozier, the Heat was also without Josh Richardson (right shoulder dislocation), Orlando Robinson (lower back spasms) and Dru Smith (season-ending right knee surgery) against the Pelicans.
—Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 24 Feb. 2024
Focal dystonia, a neurological disorder that causes involuntary muscle spasms, may also cause the twisties.
—Colleen Murphy, Health, 22 Mar. 2024
This Hong Kong film’s guiding force is So Wa Wai (Chung-Hang Leung), a real athlete whose aspirations were nearly thwarted by cerebral spasms that made even walking difficult.
—Chris Snellgrove, EW.com, 20 Mar. 2024
These may include muscle spasms, fatigue, decreased appetite, and nausea.
—Allison Futterman, Discover Magazine, 18 Mar. 2024
Wesley Morris Ron Butler Emma Kehlbeck Ted Blaisdell, New York Times, 5 Apr. 2024
Helping with achy muscles as well as spasms, topical CBD solutions have been a great over the counter relief, especially in comparison to taking regular pain relievers.
—Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 3 Apr. 2024
Leonard also left the Minnesota game because of thoracic spasms after taking an elbow in his back the previous game against the Chicago Bulls.
—Janis Carr, Orange County Register, 17 Mar. 2024
Leonard, who exited Tuesday’s loss to Minnesota because of back spasms, made 12 of 17 shots.
—Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 15 Mar. 2024
In addition to missing Rozier, the Heat was also without Josh Richardson (right shoulder dislocation), Orlando Robinson (lower back spasms) and Dru Smith (season-ending right knee surgery) against the Pelicans.
—Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 24 Feb. 2024
Focal dystonia, a neurological disorder that causes involuntary muscle spasms, may also cause the twisties.
—Colleen Murphy, Health, 22 Mar. 2024
This Hong Kong film’s guiding force is So Wa Wai (Chung-Hang Leung), a real athlete whose aspirations were nearly thwarted by cerebral spasms that made even walking difficult.
—Chris Snellgrove, EW.com, 20 Mar. 2024
These may include muscle spasms, fatigue, decreased appetite, and nausea.
—Allison Futterman, Discover Magazine, 18 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'spasm.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near spasm
Cite this Entry
“Spasm.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/spasm. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
spasm
noun1
: a sudden uncontrolled contracting of muscles
back spasms
2
: a sudden violent and temporary effort, emotion, or outburst
a spasm of creativity
spasm
verb
Medical Definition
spasm
noun1
: an involuntary and abnormal contraction of muscle or muscle fibers or of a hollow organ (as an artery, the colon, or the esophagus) that consists largely of involuntary muscle fibers
2
: the state or condition of a muscle or organ affected with spasms
the renal artery went into spasm
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