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
According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, spasmodic dysphonia causes involuntary spasms in the muscles of the voice box or larynx.
—
Kate Nalepinski, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 May 2025
Then stage two involves jerking movement, spasms, loss of vision, dementia, and seizures.
—Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 5 May 2025
Under Nézet-Séguin, the musicians do the job spectacularly, releasing all those bilious harmonies and seething rhythms in an unbroken two-hour spasm of excitement.
—Justin Davidson, Vulture, 30 Apr. 2025
Irish physician William Brooke O’Shaughnessy, after observing its medicinal use in India, introduced cannabis to Western medicine in 1842, advocating its efficacy in alleviating pain and muscle spasms.
—Matt Rozo, Mercury News, 10 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for spasm
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Kate Nalepinski, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 May 2025
Then stage two involves jerking movement, spasms, loss of vision, dementia, and seizures.
—Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 5 May 2025
Under Nézet-Séguin, the musicians do the job spectacularly, releasing all those bilious harmonies and seething rhythms in an unbroken two-hour spasm of excitement.
—Justin Davidson, Vulture, 30 Apr. 2025
Irish physician William Brooke O’Shaughnessy, after observing its medicinal use in India, introduced cannabis to Western medicine in 1842, advocating its efficacy in alleviating pain and muscle spasms.
—Matt Rozo, Mercury News, 10 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for spasm
Cite this Entry
“Spasm.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/spasm. Accessed 20 May. 2025.
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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