sprint

1 of 2

verb

ˈsprint 

sprinted; sprinting; sprints

intransitive verb

: to run or go at top speed especially for a short distance

sprinter noun

sprint

2 of 2

noun

1

: the act or an instance of sprinting

2

a

: dash sense 3b

b

: a burst of speed

Synonyms of sprint

Verb

• jog
• trot
• run
• race
• gallop
• speed

Examples of sprint in a Sentence

Verb

The bicycle racers sprinted for the finish line.

he sprinted off to class so as to avoid being late

Noun

He made a sprint for the finish line.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Fritz started off on the right side, sprinted behind the line to the left and was wide open. — Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 31 Oct. 2026

Fortes sprinted across the plate with the winning run, then headed toward first to join his jumping teammates in foul territory. — Ronald Blum, Chicago Tribune, 28 Oct. 2026

Noun

OpenAI is also sharing its architecture and lessons from its previous sprint, along with a blueprint for empowering cyber defenders across industry and government. — Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 3 Nov. 2026

El-Sayed had to work in the postprimary sprint to win over those voters. — Joey Cappelletti, Chicago Tribune, 3 Nov. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English (Scots) sprenten to spring, leap, of Scandinavian origin; akin to Swedish dialect sprinta to jump, hop; akin to Old High German sprinzan to jump up

First Known Use

Verb

1847, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1836, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing sprint

• sprint car
• wind sprint

Rhymes for sprint

• clint
• dint
• glint
• hint
• lint
• mint
• print
• quint
• quinte
• splint
• squint
• stint

Kids Definition

sprint

1 of 2 verb

ˈsprint 

: to run at top speed especially for a short distance

sprinter noun

sprint

2 of 2 noun

1

: a short run at top speed

2

: a race over a short distance