spring

verb \ ˈspriŋ \

Updated on: 22 Apr 2018

sprang play \ˈspraŋ\ or sprung play \ˈsprəŋ\; sprung; springing play \ˈspriŋ-iŋ\

intransitive verb

1 a (1) : dart, shoot

sparks sprang out from the fire

(2) : to be resilient or elastic; also : to move by elastic force

the lid sprang shut

b : to become warped

2 : to issue with speed and force or as a stream

tears spring from our eyes

3 a : to grow as a plant

b : to issue by birth or descent

sprang from the upper class

c : to come into being : arise

towns sprang up across the plains

d archaic : dawn

e : to begin to blow —used with up

a breeze quickly sprang up

4 a : to make a leap or series of leaps

springing across the lawn

b : to leap or jump up suddenly

sprang from their seats

5 : to stretch out in height : rise

6 : pay —used with for

I'll spring for the drinks

transitive verb

1 : to cause to spring

2 a : to undergo or bring about the splitting or cracking of

wind sprang the mast

b : to undergo the opening of (a leak)

3 a : to cause to operate suddenly

spring a trap

b : to apply or insert by bending

c : to bend by force

4 : to leap over

5 : to produce or disclose suddenly or unexpectedly

6 : to make lame

7 : to release or cause to be released from confinement or custody

sprung them from jail

Recent Examples of spring from the Web

This pursuit of justice was Schwan's leitmotif as her career morphed from professor of political science to president of the German-Polish Viadrina University that sprang up when the cold war thawed to Berlin’s envoy for Polish-German relations.

— elizabeth pond, The Christian Science Monitor, "How an activist who helped transform postwar Germany views its newest challenges," 18 Apr. 2018
Dozens of beloved pairs of shoes that had sprung a leak or were injured in some other way by the batterings of time found refuge in his strong hands.

— jane ford-stewart, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "He was a white knight who rescued many things beloved by West Allis families," 17 Apr. 2018
The truth is, Facebook is just really good at targeting ads, but there’s this whole conspiracy theory that has sprung up around it.

— recode staff, Recode, "Full transcript: Recode’s Kurt Wagner and The Verge’s Casey Newton answer Facebook questions on Too Embarrassed to Ask," 17 Apr. 2018
The Georgian townhouse is a brisk walk away from the glassy new tech district that has sprung up around a once-scruffy dock area.

— michael birnbaum, Washington Post, "Why Europe, not Congress, will rein in big tech," 15 Apr. 2018
On the next possession, Portland ran an out-of-bounds play that sprung Connaughton free for a layup.

— william guillory, NOLA.com, "Jrue Holiday's clutch plays on defense like 'deja vu' for Pelicans," 15 Apr. 2018
Pianist Paul Lewis, making his Symphony debut as soloist, responded with a blandly efficient performance that sprang to life only in the sweet-toned central slow movement.

— joshua kosman, San Francisco Chronicle, "S.F. Symphony follows Strauss over a mountain," 13 Apr. 2018
DiCicco agrees that the money should be put towards roads and a pool, but wants the money to go into the city's general fund, where it could then be used for other emergencies that might spring up.

— jeff piorkowski/special to cleveland.com, cleveland.com, "In a special meeting, Mayfield Heights Council votes to hire communications firm," 13 Apr. 2018
That clause's annihilation and the free agency that sprung from its ashes now shapes the modern economic and labor structure of the NBA.

— dave clark, Cincinnati.com, "Ex-Bearcat/Royal Robertson No. 7 among ESPN's most influential in NBA," 2 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'spring.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of spring

Middle English, from Old English springan; akin to Old High German springan to jump and perhaps to Greek sperchesthai to hasten

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 2

See Words from the same year

Synonym Discussion of spring

spring, arise, rise, originate, derive, flow, issue, emanate, proceed, stem mean to come up or out of something into existence. spring implies rapid or sudden emerging.

- an idea that springs to mind

arise and rise may both convey the fact of coming into existence or notice but rise often stresses gradual growth or ascent.

- new questions have arisen
- slowly rose to prominence

originate implies a definite source or starting point.

- the fire originated in the basement

derive implies a prior existence in another form.

- the holiday derives from an ancient Roman feast

flow adds to spring a suggestion of abundance or ease of inception.

- words flowed easily from her pen

issue suggests emerging from confinement through an outlet.

- blood issued from the cut

emanate applies to the coming of something immaterial (such as a thought) from a source.

- reports emanating from the capital

proceed stresses place of origin, derivation, parentage, or logical cause.

- advice that proceeds from the best of intentions

stem implies originating by dividing or branching off from something as an outgrowth or subordinate development.

- industries stemming from space research

spring

noun, often attributive

1 a : a source of supply; especially : a source of water issuing from the ground

b : an ultimate source especially of action or motion

2 : spring tide

3 : a time or season of growth or development; specifically : the season between winter and summer comprising in the northern hemisphere usually the months of March, April, and May or as reckoned astronomically extending from the March equinox to the June solstice

4 : an elastic body or device that recovers its original shape when released after being distorted

5 a : the act or an instance of leaping up or forward : bound

b (1) : capacity for springing : resilience

(2) : energy, bounce

6 : the point or plane at which an arch or vault curve springs from its impost

—

springlike

play \ˈspriŋ-ˌlīk\ adjective

See spring defined for English-language learners

Examples of spring in a Sentence

We'll plant the seeds next spring.
We've had a rainy spring.
a beautiful day in early spring
The first few weeks of spring were unusually warm.
The mattress is old and some of the springs are broken.
The cushion has lost its spring.

Recent Examples of spring from the Web

The club is offering training sessions this spring and summer (May and July) and fall (September) for those who are interested in trying the sport.

— bryant stamford, The Courier-Journal, "We're all busy, but exercise has to be a priority or it quickly gets lost in the maze," 19 Apr. 2018
Work will include spring and fall cleanup; turf maintenance, fertilization and weed control; pest and disease control; tree, shrub and groundcover care; plant bed maintenance; and watering.

— anna bybee-schier, chicagotribune.com, "Triton College board officers remain in familiar roles; new student trustee seated," 19 Apr. 2018
There are spring and another baseball season, driverless cars, the decline of the contemporary university, one’s family, the perennial nuttiness of human nature . .

— joseph epstein, WSJ, "We’ve All Got Too Much Trump on Our Minds," 18 Apr. 2018
Items at the sale include spring and summer clothing for boys and girls newborn to size eight, shoes, swim diapers, summer dresses, toys, bikes, strollers, and maternity clothing.

— quoron walker, Courant Community, "MOMS Club Semi-Annual Sale This Weekend," 17 Apr. 2018
The result — the very first Sonoma County Farm Trails map and guide — was printed 45 years ago this spring and listed in detail where to stop for the freshest tomatoes and the ripest pumpkins.

— david ferry, San Francisco Chronicle, "Agritourism helps make small farms viable," 17 Apr. 2018
Fairytale Town is open daily from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. through the spring and summer months (March - October), and Thursday-Sunday from 10 am to 4 pm in the winter and fall (November-February).

— emily zentner, sacbee, "Kids have walked The Crooked Mile for 58 years. This spring will be no different | The Sacramento Bee," 16 Apr. 2018
Thompson will also be expected to take on a leadership role through spring and summer workouts.

— jourdan rodrigue, charlotteobserver, "6 Carolina Panthers players to watch as spring workouts begin | Charlotte Observer," 16 Apr. 2018
The university conducts the mass shooter drill in the spring and a mass casualty vehicle crash scenario in the fall so both spring and fall semester graduates have the opportunity to train.

— carrie napoleon, Post-Tribune, "Active shooter drill in Crown Point puts first responders, students to the test," 9 Apr. 2018

First Known Use of spring

before 12th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

spring Synonyms

Synonyms

cradle, font, fountain, fountainhead, origin, root, seedbed, source, well, wellspring;

ground zero, square one;

Other Calendar Terms

antedate, estival, gloaming, luster, sesquicentennial

spring

verb

sprung play \ˈsprəŋ\; springing play \ˈspriŋ-iŋ\

transitive verb

: to fit with springs

Recent Examples of spring from the Web

And studies of extremophiles, microbes that thrive in inhospitable environments on Earth, suggest life can spring up in unlikely places.

— daniel clery, Science | AAAS, "Earth-sized alien worlds are out there. Now, astronomers are figuring out how to detect life on them," 1 Nov. 2017
Green added her 44th goal of the season with nine minutes left, converting a breakaway after Riley Garcia's pass sprung her into the clear.

— michael osipoff, Post-Tribune, "Lyric's opera: Green scores both goals as Wheeler takes first semistate title," 21 Oct. 2017
That group sprang up in 2015 when its leader split from an al-Qaeda group and pledged allegiance to ISIS.

— margaret hartmann, Daily Intelligencer, "What We Know About the Niger Attack That Left 4 U.S. Soldiers Dead," 19 Oct. 2017
Some T cells persist even when the target is eliminated, ready to spring into action when needed.

— bradley j. fikes, sandiegouniontribune.com, "HIV controlled with improved CAR T therapy; human testing planned next spring," 12 Oct. 2017
Hyperloop technology was proposed by tech billionaire Elon Musk of SpaceX. Companies have sprung up around the technology, including Hyperloop One.

— max londberg and robert a. cronkleton, kansascity, "KC to St. Louis in 31 minutes? Missouri groups make a renewed push for Hyperloop," 3 Oct. 2017
This was the second straight week a play call sprung him all alone for a score.

— paul dehner jr., Cincinnati.com, "Are we seeing a quick evolution of Andy Dalton, Cincinnati Bengals offense?," 2 Oct. 2017
Rape crisis centers, battered-women's shelters, and survivor hotlines have sprung up across the country.

— joe biden, Marie Claire, ""I Was Heartbroken": Joe Biden Pens a Moving Essay About His Fight to End Sexual Assault on Campus," 25 Sep. 2017
Halloween approaches, so make sure to revisit the first five installments of the popular Saw franchise, if only to learn how to spring the perfect trap on unsuspecting trick-or-treaters.

— nick schager, Esquire, "14 Must-Watch Movies Expiring on Netflix in November," 26 Oct. 2015

First Known Use of spring

1821

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

Financial Definition of SPRING

spring

noun

What It Is

Springs are false breakouts that can trap the unsuspecting trader. Spring patterns quickly reverse, with the stock or index then often testing the opposite end of the trading range. A spring is a false breakout to the downside. It is so-named because prices "spring" back.

How It Works

Springs are a type of technical pattern named by legendary technician Richard Wycoff. The quality of the spring can be judged by an examination of the degree of penetration of support or resistance, as well as the volume on the day or period this penetration occurred. These four scenarios are possible:

-- Large penetration on large volume
Large penetration on small volume
Small penetration on large volume
Small penetration on small volume

For a spring, a small penetration on small volume is bullish, as it indicates there are few traders who are willing to sell their shares below support.

Springs provide the swing trader with good opportunities. First, they can provide a stop loss, which should be placed just below the extreme of the day the spring occurred. They can also create a target, since the stock is likely to test the opposite end of the trading range.

Why It Matters

Being able to accurately recognize a spring can turn a potential threat from a false breakouts into an opportunity. Swing traders should always watch the activity following a breakout to confirm whether a stock is behaving as it should. If not, then it might still provide an excellent trading situation -- if you spot a spring in the making.

Source: Investing Answers

SPRING Defined for English Language Learners

spring

noun

: the season between winter and summer : the season when plants and trees begin to grow
: a twisted or coiled piece of metal that returns to its original shape when it is pressed down or stretched
: the ability of something to return to its original shape when it is pressed down, stretched, twisted, etc.

SPRING Defined for Kids

spring

verb \ ˈspriŋ \

sprang \ˈspraŋ\ or sprung \ˈsprəŋ\; sprung; springing

1 : to move suddenly upward or forward : leap

The lion crouched, waiting to spring.

2 : to appear or grow quickly or suddenly

Weeds sprang up overnight.

Tears sprang from her eyes.

3 : to have (a leak) appear

4 : to move quickly by or as if by stretching and springing back

The lid sprang shut.

5 : to cause to operate suddenly

He was planning to spring a trap.

6 : to come into being : arise

An idea sprang in his mind.

spring

noun

1 : the season between winter and summer including in the northern hemisphere usually the months of March, April, and May

2 : a twisted or coiled strip of material (as metal) that recovers its original shape when it is released after being squeezed or stretched

3 : the ability of something to return to its original shape when it is compressed or stretched

4 : a source of supply (as of water coming up from the ground)

5 : the act or an instance of leaping up or forward

He … caught sight of the incredible spring of a doe …
—Virginia Hamilton, M. C. Higgins

6 : a bouncy or lively quality

She had a spring in her step.

Medical Dictionary

spring

noun \ ˈspriŋ \

: any of various elastic orthodontic devices used especially to apply constant pressure to misaligned teeth

Learn More about spring

See words that rhyme with spring Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for spring Spanish Central: Translation of spring Nglish: Translation of spring for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of spring for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about spring

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spring

Recent Examples of spring from the Web

Origin and Etymology of spring

Synonym Discussion of spring

spring

springlike

Examples of spring in a Sentence

Recent Examples of spring from the Web

First Known Use of spring

spring Synonyms

Synonyms

Related Words

Other Calendar Terms

spring

Recent Examples of spring from the Web

First Known Use of spring

Financial Definition of SPRING

What It Is

How It Works

Why It Matters

SPRING Defined for English Language Learners

spring

SPRING Defined for Kids

spring

spring

Medical Dictionary

spring

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