cramps 1 of 3

noun (1)

plural of cramp
as in contractions
a painful sudden tightening of a muscle I was suddenly awakened by a cramp in my leg

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cramps

2 of 3

noun (2)

plural of cramp
as in obstacles
something that makes movement or progress difficult an antismoking ordinance that was seen as just another cramp on business by bar owners

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

cramps

3 of 3

verb

present tense third-person singular of cramp
as in hinders
to create difficulty for the work or activity of having to constantly entertain guests at the summer cottage was really cramping my writing efforts

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of cramps
Noun
An April report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention tracked nearly 17,000 Shigella samples, which causes Shigellosis, which and can bring on diarrhea, fever and abdominal cramps, collected between 2011 and 2023. — Deirdre Bardolf, FOXNews.com, 10 Oct. 2026 Richland lost a 45-42 heartbreaker to Highland Park at Birdville FA/AC after UCLA commit Jayshon Gibson — who piled up 273 rushing yards and five total touchdowns — left the game with cramps late in the fourth quarter. — Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 Oct. 2026 People infected with salmonella can experience fever, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite and stomach cramps, the CDC said. — Alexiah Syrai Olsen, Sacbee.com, 2 Oct. 2026 But eating too much fiber too quickly can cause gastrointestinal (GI) distress or cramps. — Stephanie Brown, Verywell Health, 2 Oct. 2026 When play resumed Ollie Gordon II, who left the game with cramps in the third quarter, returned to the field. — Miami Herald, 27 Sep. 2026 Symptoms from their bites include muscle cramps, abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting and more. — Rashad Alexander, Kansas City Star, 23 Sep. 2026 Each knife has an ergonomic grip to minimize cramps—especially valuable in long sessions of prepping mirepoix for your favorite fall soup recipe. — Abigail Wilt, Southern Living, 22 Sep. 2026 Symptoms of a Salmonella infection can begin six hours to six days after exposure and include diarrhea, fever, and stomach cramps. — Amber Brenza, HEALTH, 15 Sep. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cramps
  1. stitches
  2. obstacles
  3. hinders
  4. spasms
  5. hurdles
  6. hampers
  7. kinks
  8. embarrassments
Noun
  • Omelchenko appreciates the study authors’ ability to translate math to real life but notes that fully evaluating the possibilities of new stitches by using torus diagrams would be impractically expensive to compute.
    — Emma Gometz, Scientific American, 8 Oct. 2026
  • The blow caused a minor skull fracture and a gash that required three stitches to close.
    — Roni Jacobson, New York Daily News, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of stitches
Noun
  • Furthermore, the whiskers are in front, preventing the drone from detecting sideways obstacles like random jagged branches in a forest.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 14 Oct. 2026
  • The legal and political obstacles to taking custody of those assets for onward transfer to Ukraine may be too formidable to resolve in time to help Kyiv in the coming year.
    — Eric Ciaramella, Foreign Affairs, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of obstacles
Verb
  • Brazil’s internal fragmentation hinders international cooperation, too.
    — MATIAS SPEKTOR, Foreign Affairs, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Being polished hinders the chance for an honest dialogue as the moon agitates Chiron.
    — USA TODAY, USA Today, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of hinders
Noun
  • Sensitivity to noise, touch and emotional distress can set off muscle spasms, according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.
    — Andrea Flores, Los Angeles Times, 9 Oct. 2026
  • Witt dealt with back spasms and a knee sprain during the summer.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of spasms
Noun
  • Others point to hurdles like European sanctions and Russian shortages.
    — semafor.com, semafor.com, 15 Oct. 2026
  • For rights groups and activists, that is only one of several hurdles to stop the killings.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of hurdles
Verb
  • This lushness is truly remarkable on an island known for its volcanic soil, which traditionally hampers plant growth.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Oct. 2026
  • This hampers several of my favorite performances, especially Harper, whose Ben is full of sarcastic indignation, and June Laporte as Ginny, an aspiring reporter in need of proper mentoring.
    — Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 19 Sep. 2026
Definition of hampers
Noun
  • Trump continues to argue that America’s top priority is investing in AI innovation, not probing US frontier labs working out the kinks at breakneck speeds.
    — Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 15 Oct. 2026
  • This is to say nothing about gender, kinks, preferences, fluidity, and other nuanced things that complicate sexuality.
    — Chris Murphy, Vanity Fair, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of kinks
Noun
  • Sitting around a table in the soundstage where the pilot for I Love Lucy was filmed, the six of them tailored the roles to the actors and infused the script with arguments, embarrassments, and confessions from their own relationships.
    — Eliana Dockterman, Time, 26 June 2026
  • The order to whitewash America’s historic sites of anything less than rosy about the nation’s past has led to some predictable embarrassments.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 3 June 2026
Definition of embarrassments

Browse Nearby Words

cramp one's style
cramps
cramps one's style
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Cite this Entry

“Cramps.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cramps. Accessed 17 Oct. 2026.

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