splint

1 of 2

noun

variants or less commonly splent
1
: a small plate or strip of metal used in making armor
2
a
: a thin strip of wood suitable for interweaving (as into baskets)
b
c
: material or a device used to protect and immobilize a body part (such as a broken arm)
3
: a bony enlargement on the upper part of the cannon bone of a horse usually on the inside of the leg

splint

2 of 2

verb

splinted; splinting; splints

transitive verb

1
: to support and immobilize (something, such as a broken bone) with a splint
2
: to brace with or as if with splints

Examples of splint in a Sentence

Noun His leg was in a splint. a splint off the board
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Steve Gregory, a radio host from Los Angeles, knows someone who carries an inflatable splint to get early boarding privileges. ◾ Wrong group: Some passengers don't care if their boarding group hasn't been called and line up anyway. Christopher Elliott, USA TODAY, 20 Feb. 2024 Kemp, a professional basketball player, was misdiagnosed with shin splints last year while playing overseas. Katherine Kallergis, Miami Herald, 30 Jan. 2024 Wear braces or splints that provide structured support to your hands and fingers, especially the thumbs. Alyssa Hui, Verywell Health, 27 Oct. 2023 Because of this, those with a high BMI are more likely to experience shin splints. Daryl Austin, USA TODAY, 10 Feb. 2024 Arch support was important for our team member who has flat feet and often gets shin splints and patellar pain. Sarah Kester, Travel + Leisure, 30 Jan. 2024 At first, vets thought both of the kitten's back paws would need to be amputated, but after putting the growing cat's limbs in splints and doing months of physical therapy while the legs developed, the experts determined in early 2019 that only Lola Pearl's back left leg would need to be amputated. Kelli Bender, Peoplemag, 31 Jan. 2024 When Is Carpal Tunnel Bad Enough for Surgery? Surgery for carpal tunnel syndrome is typically considered when symptoms frequently recur and worsen, despite trying other treatments like splints or corticosteroid injections. Benjamin Plackett, Discover Magazine, 27 Jan. 2024 Paper clips These come in handy to create a temporary zipper pull, necklace clasp or, with some adhesive tape, splint for a broken finger or toe. Laura Daily, Washington Post, 17 Jan. 2024
Verb
Total Point’s top-of-the-line facilities issue services ranging from cold and flu to casting, splinting, and bracing; from wound care to school physicals and beyond. Spin Contributor, SPIN, 8 Dec. 2023 Break your arm and want to splint it? Wes Siler, Outside Online, 8 May 2017 With use of a carbon fiber splint the team crafted overnight, Johnson practiced again the next morning and crashed again, but pressed on and qualified and raced Sunday. Nathan Brown, The Indianapolis Star, 1 June 2022 Allen, who was on the bench supporting teammates during Cleveland’s recent homestand, still has a protective wrap and splint on his left hand. Chris Fedor, cleveland, 2 Apr. 2022 If one joint is particularly unstable or misaligned, your doctor may splint it in order to allow it an opportunity to heal. Sara Gaynes Lev, SELF, 30 July 2021 Gahm and her daughter were able to splint her arm after the fall, but the increasing pain and other side effects from the fall convinced Gahm to activate a personal locator beacon. BostonGlobe.com, 17 June 2021 Following surgery, restricting movement is critical to proper healing, so a hard or soft cast, splint or walking boot is usually prescribed. Ellen J. Horrow, USA TODAY, 12 Oct. 2020 Who will stop his mower for an hour to splint the broken leg of a meadowlark. New York Times, 31 Mar. 2020

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'splint.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Middle Low German splinte, splente; probably akin to Middle Dutch splitten to split

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of splint was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near splint

Cite this Entry

“Splint.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/splint. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

splint

1 of 2 noun
1
: a thin flexible strip of wood woven together with others in making a chair seat or basket
2
3
: material or a device used to protect a body part (as a broken arm) and keep it in place

splint

2 of 2 verb
: to support and hold in place with or as if with a splint or splints

Medical Definition

splint

1 of 2 noun
1
: material or a device used to protect and immobilize a body part
a plaster splint for a fractured leg
a dental splint
2
: a bony enlargement on the upper part of the cannon bone of a horse usually on the inside of the leg

splint

2 of 2 transitive verb
1
: to support and immobilize (as a broken bone) with a splint
2
: to protect against pain by reducing the motion of
the patient splinted his chest by a fixed position and shallow breathing

More from Merriam-Webster on splint

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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