sprite

noun

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\ ˈsprīt

plural sprites

Definition of sprite

1a : elf, fairy

b : an elfish person

2a : a disembodied spirit : ghost

b archaic : soul

3 : a form of electrical discharge that sometimes is emitted upwards from the top of a cumulonimbus cloud during a thunderstorm at the same time that lightning strikes downward and that usually appears as a red or reddish-orange flash of light Atmospheric scientist Walter Lyons and his colleagues … noticed unusual behavior in storms over the plains: They triggered huge numbers of "sprites"—ghostly red glows of excited nitrogen molecules often seen high above violent storms.— Robert Irion

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Examples of sprite in a Sentence

the child insisted that he'd seen a sprite hiding in the garden told hair-raising stories of sprites and spectral ships

Recent Examples on the Web The algorithm also ignores sprites, so enemies and other major, moving elements of the game won't appear outside the usual bounds of an NES screen. — Kyle Orland, Ars Technica, "Ever wanted to see “beyond” the NES game screen? With WideNES, you can," 30 Aug. 2018 But who can blame her, what with the cute assortment of mushroom pixies and porcupine sprites newly trotted out by the effects crew? — BostonGlobe.com, "Angelina Jolie is back as Maleficent — and Michelle Pfeiffer better watch out - The Boston Globe," 17 Oct. 2019 Titles like Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo, Mr. Driller, and Rayman pop with detailed, vibrant sprites and tight controls, even when blown up to modern TV scale. — Kyle Orland, Ars Technica, "PlayStation Classic review: A far-from-classic experience," 27 Nov. 2018 An old, angelic sprite called Clarence returned to earth to bring back balance. — Tim Sullivan, The Courier-Journal, "A Christmas sports poem: Clarence earns an encore, and his halo," 24 Dec. 2019 Milan’s team of tappers includes two talented Twin Citians – Drew Geck and Hilary Palmer – and a pair of imports, Boston’s Michael Keefe and Los Angeles’ Chris Rutledge, the latter a scene-stealing sprite in bushy beard and baggy shorts. — Rob Hubbard, Twin Cities, "Review: ‘Who Brought the Humbug?’ taps into the seasonal spirit," 7 Dec. 2019 Pavelich, a sprite of a forward at only 5 feet 8 inches, assisted on Eruzione’s winning goal that sent the dumbstruck CCCP team home on a stretcher to Red Square. — BostonGlobe.com, ", Mark Pavelich," 7 Dec. 2019 But in some in-game situations, when the screen got too full of moving sprites, the processor could fail to create the next frame within the 16.66ms window, leading to noticeable display lag. — Kyle Orland, Ars Technica, "“Blast processing” in 2019: How an SNES emulator solved overclocking," 10 Aug. 2019 Deon, man of mystery, is a malevolent sprite, seeking revenge on those who have messed with his family. — Christopher Arnott, courant.com, "Review: ‘Girls’ a mad, magnificent dance-club rave at Yale Rep," 11 Oct. 2019

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