sprint

1 of 2

verb

ˈsprint 

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

a

: dash sense 3b

b

: a burst of speed

Synonyms of sprint

Verb

• jog
• trot
• run
• race
• gallop
• 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

LaFleur quickly shook hands with the rival coach before sprinting away to handle postgame business. —Matthew Couden, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Dec. 2025

The robot could sprint across the goal mouth faster than a human and calculate ball paths almost instantly. —Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 3 Dec. 2025

Noun

Some people find that ending their workout with a calming cooldown—versus calling it quits right after that final butt-kicking interval sprint—makes their overall exercise routine more pleasant. —Jenny McCoy, Outside, 7 Dec. 2025

That day, Isaiah rebounded for King James as the future Hall of Famer concluded his workout with full-court sprints, capped by 10 dunks at each end of the floor. —Kyle Newman, Denver Post, 6 Dec. 2025

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

Phrases Containing sprint

• sprint car
• wind sprint

Rhymes for sprint

• clint
• dint
• glint
• hint
• lint
• mint
• print
• quint
• quinte
• splint
• squint
• stint

Kids Definition

sprint

1 of 2 verb

ˈsprint 

: 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