sprint

1 of 2

verb

sprinted; sprinting; sprints

intransitive verb

: to run or go at top speed especially for a short distance
sprinter noun

sprint

2 of 2

noun

1
: the act or an instance of sprinting
2
b
: a burst of speed

Examples of sprint in a Sentence

Verb The bicycle racers sprinted for the finish line. he sprinted off to class so as to avoid being late Noun He made a sprint for the finish line.
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
Puckett sprinted across the open area to draw fire so that Rangers could find and destroy enemy machine-gunners. CBS News, 10 Apr. 2024 Mejia sprints out of his home with a bat like a bull when the gate opens. Chris Eberhart, Fox News, 5 Apr. 2024 Camera screen bouncing, the producer sprints over to get footage. Megan Farokhmanesh, WIRED, 4 Apr. 2024 During the summer, players sprinted up the Santa Monica stairs and were sore for days. Thuc Nhi Nguyen, Los Angeles Times, 29 Mar. 2024 Not for a team that sprinted through the NBA’s second tax apron to construct this roster. Shane Young, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2024 On Sunday, Cruise, 61, was seen sprinting down a street in London while filming a scene for the upcoming eighth film in his signature action franchise. Tommy McArdle, Peoplemag, 26 Mar. 2024 However regardless of Powell’s opinion on his team, there remains one athlete who can secure wins in the sprinting events for Jamaica. Paras Jan, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2024 At one point, the ostrich appears to run into a vehicle before picking himself back up and sprinting around the road again. Kelli Bender, Peoplemag, 27 Mar. 2024
Noun
Watch this 👀 Subway sprint: Two friends tried to outrun a New York City train. Daniel Wine, CNN, 4 Apr. 2024 The bottom line is that securing a small business loan from a traditional bank is a marathon, not a sprint. Melissa Houston, Forbes, 30 Mar. 2024 The Grand Cherokee’s 0-60 mph sprint required about 8.0 seconds in Edmunds testing versus 6.8 seconds in the Passport. Nick Kurczewski, Quartz, 27 Mar. 2024 By comparison, an Olympic sprint swimmer might reach just 5 km/h. The thinking among hydrodynamicists is that the strange shape of shark denticles must play a crucial role in shark locomotion. The Physics Arxiv Blog, Discover Magazine, 26 Mar. 2024 Former walk-on defensive back Alex Johnson ran a 40-yard dash in the 4.4-second range, Foster reported, along with a 4.5-second sprint from outside linebacker Carl Jones Jr. Thuc Nhi Nguyen, Los Angeles Times, 15 Mar. 2024 Move to February The Oscar marathon could use a sprint. Clayton Davis, Variety, 14 Mar. 2024 She's clinched three world titles since then, is considered the reigning sprint European champion and is an Olympic medalist. Skyler Caruso, Peoplemag, 19 Mar. 2024 Last season, the Giants were the slowest team in the National League, with an average sprint speed faster than only the Yankees and White Sox. Evan Webeck, The Mercury News, 15 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'sprint.' 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

Verb

Middle English (Scots) sprenten to spring, leap, of Scandinavian origin; akin to Swedish dialect sprinta to jump, hop; akin to Old High German sprinzan to jump up

First Known Use

Verb

1847, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1836, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of sprint was in 1836

Dictionary Entries Near sprint

Cite this Entry

“Sprint.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sprint. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.

Kids Definition

sprint

1 of 2 verb
: to run at top speed especially for a short distance
sprinter noun

sprint

2 of 2 noun
1
: a short run at top speed
2
: a race over a short distance

More from Merriam-Webster on sprint

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!