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

As Crowley sprinted across the state to capture undecided voters, Hong was batting down controversies. — ABC News, 6 Aug. 2026

Max Llewellyn could have possibly gotten him down, but the rookie QB sprinted down field fast. — Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 6 Aug. 2026

Noun

Looking for traces of a Toba catastrophe in standard sediment cores was like timing a sprint with a calendar. — Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 9 Aug. 2026

Her appointment to the role, instead of giving her a leg up over the competition, may ultimately hold her back by preventing her from getting to know voters during a weeks-long sprint to Tuesday. — ABC News, 8 Aug. 2026

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