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
Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 23 Mar. 2026
The 22-year-old was taken for an x-ray, which came back negative, and was diagnosed with a left ankle sprain, team head coach TJ Otzelberger told reporters after the game.
—Kyle Feldscher, CNN Money, 22 Mar. 2026
Janis Carr, Oc Register, 16 Mar. 2026
Dent strained his calf in the first half against Purdue on Saturday, while Bilodeau sprained his knee in the first half against Michigan State on Friday.
—Aaron Heisen, Daily News, 15 Mar. 2026
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Noun
Demary has a Grade 2 high ankle sprain, a calf/Achilles injury that normally sidelines a basketball player for several weeks, an injury that’s not going to heal without rest.
—Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 23 Mar. 2026
The 22-year-old was taken for an x-ray, which came back negative, and was diagnosed with a left ankle sprain, team head coach TJ Otzelberger told reporters after the game.
—Kyle Feldscher, CNN Money, 22 Mar. 2026
Verb
Kawhi Leonard, arguably the NBA’s best player over the past three months, sprained his left ankle in the fourth quarter of Saturday night’s loss to the Sacramento Kings.
—Janis Carr, Oc Register, 16 Mar. 2026
Dent strained his calf in the first half against Purdue on Saturday, while Bilodeau sprained his knee in the first half against Michigan State on Friday.
—Aaron Heisen, Daily News, 15 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for sprain
Cite this Entry
“Sprain.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sprain. Accessed 27 Mar. 2026.
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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