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
Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 9 Mar. 2026
Yet this compulsive desire to win bleeds into every aspect of the team’s management, perhaps best evidenced by the fact that Giddey and Matas Buzelis remained on the court until the final 80 seconds Sunday despite both being fresh off ankle sprains.
—Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 9 Mar. 2026
CBS News, 8 Mar. 2026
Micah Potter sprained his ankle on Wednesday, so the short-term future is in doubt.
—Stan Son, New York Times, 5 Mar. 2026
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Noun
The Pistons were without two rotation players in Caris LeVert (left wrist sprain) and Ausar Thompson (right ankle sprain) against the Heat.
—Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 9 Mar. 2026
Yet this compulsive desire to win bleeds into every aspect of the team’s management, perhaps best evidenced by the fact that Giddey and Matas Buzelis remained on the court until the final 80 seconds Sunday despite both being fresh off ankle sprains.
—Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 9 Mar. 2026
Verb
Maxey sprained his right pinkie in a collision with teammate Adem Bona while going for a loose ball with 16 seconds remaining in the 76ers' 126-116 loss to the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday night.
—CBS News, 8 Mar. 2026
Micah Potter sprained his ankle on Wednesday, so the short-term future is in doubt.
—Stan Son, New York Times, 5 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 11 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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