1
: a sudden or violent twist or wrench of a joint with stretching or tearing of ligaments
2
: a sprained condition
sprained; spraining; sprains
: to injure by a sudden or severe twist
Examples of sprain in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 23 Dec. 2025
And now Zubac, the Clippers’ ironman and leading rebounder, is out for at least three weeks with a Grade 2 sprain of his left ankle.
—Janis Carr, Oc Register, 23 Dec. 2025
Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 3 Dec. 2025
New Balance DynaSoft Nergize Sport V2 Sneaker Once, on a trip to Lisbon, my mom slightly sprained her ankle tackling the city’s hills.
—Nneya Richards, Travel + Leisure, 2 Dec. 2025
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Noun
After a high ankle sprain to starting left tackle Tyler Guyton forced him to miss a fourth consecutive game against the Los Angeles Chargers this past Sunday, Smith was asked by the coaching staff to kick out from his left guard spot to left tackle.
—Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 23 Dec. 2025
And now Zubac, the Clippers’ ironman and leading rebounder, is out for at least three weeks with a Grade 2 sprain of his left ankle.
—Janis Carr, Oc Register, 23 Dec. 2025
Verb
Tillman couldn’t crack the rotation when starting center Neemias Queta sprained his ankle in a win over the Magic, or when Queta sat out for the first time this season three nights later.
—Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 3 Dec. 2025
New Balance DynaSoft Nergize Sport V2 Sneaker Once, on a trip to Lisbon, my mom slightly sprained her ankle tackling the city’s hills.
—Nneya Richards, Travel + Leisure, 2 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sprain
Cite this Entry
“Sprain.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sprain. Accessed 28 Dec. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
sprain
1 of 2 noun1
: a sudden or severe twisting of a joint with stretching or tearing of ligaments
2
: a condition that results from a sprain and is usually marked by pain and swelling
sprain
2 of 2 verb
: to injure by a sudden or severe twist
Medical Definition
sprain
1 of 2 noun
: a sudden or violent twist or wrench of a joint causing the stretching or tearing of ligaments and often rupture of blood vessels with hemorrhage into the tissues
also
: the condition resulting from a sprain that is usually marked by swelling, inflammation, hemorrhage, and discoloration compare strain entry 3 sense b
sprain
2 of 2 transitive verb
: to weaken (a joint or ligament) by sudden and violent twisting or wrenching : stretch (ligaments) injuriously without dislocation of the joint
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