spasm

noun

ˈspa-zəm 

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

Synonyms of spasm

• cramp

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

Triple-A depth is starting to get healthy, too, with right-hander Corbin Martin coming off the IL on Sunday after dealing with back spasms and getting into Tuesday’s game, while right-hander Collin Snider (arm fatigue) is expected to pitch for Iowa in the next day or two. —Meghan Montemurro, Chicago Tribune, 16 Apr. 2026

Injections of local anesthetics, such as Lidocaine, into the muscles or joints can reduce irritation, muscle spasms and abnormal nerve activities that result in pain. —Dr. Patricia Richard, Hartford Courant, 14 Apr. 2026

Fifth starter Sam Hauser (low back spasm) and top reserves Payton Pritchard (left foot plantar fasciitis) and Nikola Vucevic (right ring finger fracture management) all were listed as doubtful. —Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 11 Apr. 2026

The team listed forward Sam Hauser (lower back spasms) as available after initially deeming him questionable before the Knicks matchup. —Fiifi Frimpong, New York Daily News, 9 Apr. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English spasme, from Anglo-French espasme, from Latin spasmus, from Greek spasmos, from span to draw, pull

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for spasm

• bronchospasm
• cytoplasm
• ectoplasm
• neoplasm
• protoplasm
• vasospasm
• chasm
• plasm
• chiasm
• germplasm
• phantasm
• sarcasm

Kids Definition

spasm

noun

ˈspaz-əm 

1

: 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

noun

ˈspaz-əm 

1

: 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