Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
dictionary thesaurus view recents

spry

adjective
Save Word
\ ˈsprī How to pronounce spry (audio) \
sprier or spryer\ ˈsprī(-​ə)r How to pronounce spryer (audio) \; spriest or spryest\ ˈsprī-​əst How to pronounce spryest (audio) \

Definition of spry

: nimble sense 1 a spry 75-year-old
Other Words from spry Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about spry

Keep scrolling for more

Other Words from spry

spryly adverb
spryness noun

Examples of spry in a Sentence

an older woman who's still surprisingly spry
Recent Examples on the Web The owner, a spry senior citizen named Yukio Yamamoto, who wore a red Ferrari cap, had invested ten thousand dollars to buy a breed of cow known for producing prize-winning wagyu beef. — Carolyn Kormann, The New Yorker, "Is Nuclear Power Worth the Risk?," 22 Dec. 2019 Reflecting an offense that’s slowly starting to find its rhythm, Jokic looked spry en route to 28 points, 14 rebounds and 12 assists. — Mike Singer, The Denver Post, "Nikola Jokic’s fourth triple-double of the season sparks Nuggets over Thunder," 14 Dec. 2019 Larry Paulsen is spry and shrewd as Olivia’s jester, Feste. — Lisa Kennedy, The Know, "Review: The accent is on the hilarious at the Denver Center’s “Twelfth Night”," 30 Nov. 2019 And Todd Gurley looked spry on his 13-yard touchdown run. — Albert Breer, SI.com, "Forget the Hype—the Browns Are Beginning to Believe in Themselves," 30 Sep. 2019 Possibly coming back sooner? (@friscofreak49) Staley indeed looks spry for someone who sustained a hairline fracture in his right fibula last Sunday. — Cam Inman, The Mercury News, "49ers mailbag: How did Jimmy Garoppolo look?," 24 Sep. 2019 The spry 100-year-old received gifts from American Airlines and other organizations, and stood for seemingly every person that shook his hand. — Omar Abdel-baqui, Detroit Free Press, "World War II vet and former Tomb of Unknown Soldier guard, 100, finally honored properly," 24 Oct. 2019 Looking and feeling spry doesn’t affect the quality of your eggs. — Michelle Lee, Allure, "The Beautiful, Anxious, Unconventional Reality of Pregnancy After 40," 21 Oct. 2019 Despite the copious amounts of alcohol that was being consumed, participants were shockingly spry, arriving on time and eager to participate while donning their team colors with pride. — Morena Duwe, Billboard, "We Lost the Dirtybird Campout Spelling Bee and Other Festival Field Activity Reports," 8 Oct. 2019

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

See More

First Known Use of spry

1746, in the meaning defined above

History and Etymology for spry

origin unknown

Keep scrolling for more

Learn More about spry

Statistics for spry

Last Updated

14 Jan 2020

Cite this Entry

“Spry.” The Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster Inc., https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/spry. Accessed 24 January 2020.

Keep scrolling for more

More Definitions for spry

spry

adjective
How to pronounce spry (audio)

English Language Learners Definition of spry

: full of life and energy

See the full definition for spry in the English Language Learners Dictionary

spry

adjective
\ ˈsprī How to pronounce spry (audio) \
sprier or spryer; spriest or spryest

Kids Definition of spry

: lively sense 1, active My grandma is still spry at 80.

Keep scrolling for more

More from Merriam-Webster on spry

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for spry

Spanish Central: Translation of spry

Nglish: Translation of spry for Spanish Speakers

Comments on spry

What made you want to look up spry? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

Show Comments  Hide Comments 

WORD OF THE DAY

euphoria

Listen to the pronounciation of euphoria

a feeling of well-being or elation

Get Word of the Day daily email!

Test Your Vocabulary

Intact Latin Quiz

  • roman tablet
  • What did focus mean in Latin?
Spell It

Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?

TAKE THE QUIZ
Syn City

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

Words at Play
Ask the Editors
Word Games