1
2
: to issue with speed and force or as a stream
tears spring from our eyes
3
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
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
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
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
6
: the point or plane at which an arch or vault curve springs from its impost
Synonyms
Examples of spring in a Sentence
Noun
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 on the Web
Abraham Josephine Riesman, Rolling Stone, 8 Apr. 2024
While the series follows an investigative producer who teamed with law-enforcement to spring innocent inmates from custody, the Mandela portrait will counter previous efforts that veered too far into hagiography.
—Ben Croll, Variety, 5 Apr. 2024
Furthermore, Ferruccio was a big fan of Spanish bullfighting, which is why the logo captures the moment before the beast springs forth.
—Sean Evans, Robb Report, 2 Apr. 2024
Reddit entered its second official day of trading on Friday with a downward adjustment — shares were down about 8.5% after springing 48% higher following its debut on the New York Stock Exchange.
—Bryan Mena, CNN, 24 Mar. 2024
As Privat delivered theatrical ultimatums, local officials sprang into seduction mode.
—Lauren Collins, The New Yorker, 1 Apr. 2024
Winter’s father, Charlie, sprang into action when the shark pulled his daughter under.
—Char Adams, Peoplemag, 29 Mar. 2024
Later, Trump, now president, sprang him, commuting his sentence.
—Jay Nordlinger, National Review, 29 Mar. 2024
The game then sprang into life in extra-time, with Greece’s Konstantinos Mavropanos hitting the crossbar before Georgia’s Zuriko Davitashvili forced Greek goalkeeper Odysseas Vlachodimos into a smart save from close range.
—Ben Church, CNN, 27 Mar. 2024
Clara McMahon, Peoplemag, 16 Apr. 2024
The full moon will light up the evening sky later in April, marking the second full moon after the spring equinox.
—Jenna Prestininzi, Detroit Free Press, 16 Apr. 2024
This is because of the combination of strengthening spring sunshine, which creates strong currents of rising air in the lower atmosphere, and a lingering winter chill at the mid-levels, plus stronger jet stream winds.
—Dan Stillman, Washington Post, 16 Apr. 2024
Set this quiche on the table with a vase of flowers and a spring salad, and Mother's Day is complete.
Get the Recipe
02 of 80
Spring Vegetable Frittata
For any special occasion, a frittata will have your back.
—Zoe Denenberg, Southern Living, 16 Apr. 2024
Right now, this high-quality spring staple is even on sale at Amazon for a whopping 44 percent off, bringing the price to just under $100.
—Merrell Readman, Travel + Leisure, 16 Apr. 2024
But Kingsbury could see that jogging over from baseball practice to spring football practice was wearing him out.
—Sean Gregory / Dallas, TIME, 16 Apr. 2024
Earlier this spring, much was made in the press about the festival’s slower-than-usual ticket sales.
—Paul A. Thompson, Pitchfork, 15 Apr. 2024
Otherwise, expect a nice spring day with highs ranging from the mid-70s to the low 80s.
—Haadiza Ogwude, The Enquirer, 15 Apr. 2024
Francesca Gariano, Peoplemag, 6 Apr. 2023
While hope is still springing eternal, there’s still time for a wager before the season begins.
—Bill Bradley, Chicago Tribune, 29 Mar. 2023
Every day of the week more than 1,000 fountains come to life, springing 460 feet into the air to dance, accompanied by music and light.
—Tamara Gane, Chron, 21 Mar. 2023
Couples in particular are springing across the Atlantic and immersing themselves in the rich cultures of iconic European cities.
—Kyle Schmidbauer, Fox News, 18 Mar. 2023
It was rewarded with the Gavotte en rondeau from Bach’s E major Violin Partita, as nicely sprung as the eponymous baroque dance.
—Scott Cantrell, Dallas News, 11 Mar. 2023
Now, many other states are considering whether to stop falling back and springing ahead.
—Beth Ann Malow, The Conversation, 6 Mar. 2023
The dirt road had been left free of mines, while the fields all about were seeded with them, so as to entice the Russians to advance while preventing tanks from turning around once the trap was sprung.
—Andrew E. Kramer, New York Times, 1 Mar. 2023
Both models employ the Civic's strut front suspension, located by lower control arms and sprung by torsion bars.
—Csaba Csere, Car and Driver, 1 Mar. 2023
Verb
Lucky for us, then, that there’s a trans auteur who is willing to spring the Joker from the prison of canon and send the character on an idol-killing spree.
—Abraham Josephine Riesman, Rolling Stone, 8 Apr. 2024
While the series follows an investigative producer who teamed with law-enforcement to spring innocent inmates from custody, the Mandela portrait will counter previous efforts that veered too far into hagiography.
—Ben Croll, Variety, 5 Apr. 2024
Furthermore, Ferruccio was a big fan of Spanish bullfighting, which is why the logo captures the moment before the beast springs forth.
—Sean Evans, Robb Report, 2 Apr. 2024
Reddit entered its second official day of trading on Friday with a downward adjustment — shares were down about 8.5% after springing 48% higher following its debut on the New York Stock Exchange.
—Bryan Mena, CNN, 24 Mar. 2024
As Privat delivered theatrical ultimatums, local officials sprang into seduction mode.
—Lauren Collins, The New Yorker, 1 Apr. 2024
Winter’s father, Charlie, sprang into action when the shark pulled his daughter under.
—Char Adams, Peoplemag, 29 Mar. 2024
Later, Trump, now president, sprang him, commuting his sentence.
—Jay Nordlinger, National Review, 29 Mar. 2024
The game then sprang into life in extra-time, with Greece’s Konstantinos Mavropanos hitting the crossbar before Georgia’s Zuriko Davitashvili forced Greek goalkeeper Odysseas Vlachodimos into a smart save from close range.
—Ben Church, CNN, 27 Mar. 2024
Noun
There are so many cute and comfy spring blouses on sale at Amazon this week.
—Clara McMahon, Peoplemag, 16 Apr. 2024
The full moon will light up the evening sky later in April, marking the second full moon after the spring equinox.
—Jenna Prestininzi, Detroit Free Press, 16 Apr. 2024
This is because of the combination of strengthening spring sunshine, which creates strong currents of rising air in the lower atmosphere, and a lingering winter chill at the mid-levels, plus stronger jet stream winds.
—Dan Stillman, Washington Post, 16 Apr. 2024
Set this quiche on the table with a vase of flowers and a spring salad, and Mother's Day is complete.
Get the Recipe
02 of 80
Spring Vegetable Frittata
For any special occasion, a frittata will have your back.
—Zoe Denenberg, Southern Living, 16 Apr. 2024
Right now, this high-quality spring staple is even on sale at Amazon for a whopping 44 percent off, bringing the price to just under $100.
—Merrell Readman, Travel + Leisure, 16 Apr. 2024
But Kingsbury could see that jogging over from baseball practice to spring football practice was wearing him out.
—Sean Gregory / Dallas, TIME, 16 Apr. 2024
Earlier this spring, much was made in the press about the festival’s slower-than-usual ticket sales.
—Paul A. Thompson, Pitchfork, 15 Apr. 2024
Otherwise, expect a nice spring day with highs ranging from the mid-70s to the low 80s.
—Haadiza Ogwude, The Enquirer, 15 Apr. 2024
Verb
The Beef star was famously pregnant with her children during her 2016 and 2018 Netflix comedy specials Baby Kobra and Hard Knock Wife, which helped spring the comedian into stardom.
—Francesca Gariano, Peoplemag, 6 Apr. 2023
While hope is still springing eternal, there’s still time for a wager before the season begins.
—Bill Bradley, Chicago Tribune, 29 Mar. 2023
Every day of the week more than 1,000 fountains come to life, springing 460 feet into the air to dance, accompanied by music and light.
—Tamara Gane, Chron, 21 Mar. 2023
Couples in particular are springing across the Atlantic and immersing themselves in the rich cultures of iconic European cities.
—Kyle Schmidbauer, Fox News, 18 Mar. 2023
It was rewarded with the Gavotte en rondeau from Bach’s E major Violin Partita, as nicely sprung as the eponymous baroque dance.
—Scott Cantrell, Dallas News, 11 Mar. 2023
Now, many other states are considering whether to stop falling back and springing ahead.
—Beth Ann Malow, The Conversation, 6 Mar. 2023
The dirt road had been left free of mines, while the fields all about were seeded with them, so as to entice the Russians to advance while preventing tanks from turning around once the trap was sprung.
—Andrew E. Kramer, New York Times, 1 Mar. 2023
Both models employ the Civic's strut front suspension, located by lower control arms and sprung by torsion bars.
—Csaba Csere, Car and Driver, 1 Mar. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'spring.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near spring
Cite this Entry
“Spring.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/spring. Accessed 23 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
spring
1 of 2 verb1
a
: to appear or grow quickly
the weeds sprang up overnight
b
: to come from by birth or descent
sprang from an immigrant family
c
: to come into being : arise
towns sprang up across the plains
2
: to move suddenly forward or upward : leap
a lion crouched and waiting to spring
sprang up the path
sprang to my feet
3
: to have (a leak) appear
4
a
: to move by elastic force
the lid sprang shut
b
: to become warped or bent
the door has sprung
5
a
: to cause to operate suddenly
spring a trap
b
: to produce suddenly
sprung a surprise on us
6
: pay entry 1 sense 1
—usually used with for
spring for a new pair of shoes
7
: to release or cause to be released from confinement (as jail)
spring
2 of 2 noun1
: a source of supply
especially
: a source of water coming up from the ground
2
a
: the season between winter and summer including in the northern hemisphere usually the months of March, April, and May
b
: a time or season of growth or development
3
: an elastic body or device that recovers its original shape when released after being squeezed or stretched
4
a
: the act or an instance of leaping up or forward
b
: elastic power or force
the spring in your step
Medical Definition
spring
noun
: any of various elastic orthodontic devices used especially to apply constant pressure to misaligned teeth
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