1
as in cramp
a painful sudden tightening of a muscle
he suffers terribly from back spasms
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in burst
a sudden intense expression of strong feeling
a spasm of love that he had never experienced before
Synonyms & Similar Words
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 spasm
That mobilization has triggered new spasms of anxiety among the league’s old-school media partners.
—
Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 2 June 2026
In fact many countries went through a spasm of panic-buying at the beginning of the conflict, which has since cooled off.
—Tim McDonnell, semafor.com, 2 June 2026
Some people also experience painful muscle spasms and unexplained falls while navigating the disease.
—Desiree Anello, PEOPLE, 1 June 2026
The injury, identified at the time as a right hamstring spasm, came at a particularly inauspicious moment, with Perez in the midst of one of his best starts in the season, with nine strikeouts in four scoreless innings.
—Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 28 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for spasm
Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 2 June 2026
In fact many countries went through a spasm of panic-buying at the beginning of the conflict, which has since cooled off.
—Tim McDonnell, semafor.com, 2 June 2026
Some people also experience painful muscle spasms and unexplained falls while navigating the disease.
—Desiree Anello, PEOPLE, 1 June 2026
The injury, identified at the time as a right hamstring spasm, came at a particularly inauspicious moment, with Perez in the midst of one of his best starts in the season, with nine strikeouts in four scoreless innings.
—Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 28 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for spasm
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spasm
Noun
-
The agency added that symptoms typically develop within 12 to 72 hours after infection and may include diarrhea, fever and stomach cramps.—
Shafiq Najib,
ABC News,
14 June 2026
-
These can lead to heat exhaustion—which can feature nausea, dizziness and muscle cramps—and, if not treated, to heat stroke and even death.—
Andrea Thompson,
Scientific American,
11 June 2026
Noun
-
On Saturday, with the Knicks trailing by 10 points with seven minutes remaining, Brunson scored 13 consecutive points during a six-minute fourth quarter burst, finishing with 45 points in the 94-90 victory over San Antonio that earned him Final MVP honors.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
14 June 2026
-
Spinning brushes and bursts of pressurized gas inside the head then sweep samples into a collection chamber before the spacecraft beats a hasty retreat.—
Andrew Jones,
Scientific American,
11 June 2026
Noun
-
Toward the peak of the song, pyro explosions go off, timed to the exact second that McRae and her backup dancers all toss their hands into the air.—
Angie Martoccio,
Rolling Stone,
11 Dec. 2025
-
But China still lagged behind Silicon Valley, and the explosion of ChatGPT in late 2022 didn’t so much live rent-free in the heads of Beijing’s leadership as take ownership of the title deeds.—
Charlie Campbell,
Time,
11 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
Laila Emamjoneh, 24, who sat beside her sister and brother-in-law, was startled at the outburst for New Zealand among a group of mostly Iranians.—
Suhauna Hussain,
Los Angeles Times,
16 June 2026
-
Their gripes aren’t just about Sirianni’s outbursts — which, in fairness, mirror those of so many Philly fans.—
Michael Silver,
New York Times,
16 June 2026
Noun
-
Drawing on a rare dataset collected in the hours leading up to a massive solar flare, scientists identified a series of changes in the sun's atmosphere that offer new clues about how major eruptions begin.—
Sharmila Kuthunur,
Space.com,
15 June 2026
-
But the eruption disrupted their economy and weakened their influence.—
Atharva Gosavi,
Interesting Engineering,
15 June 2026
Noun
-
Some areas of the Midwest are at risk of multiple rounds of storms that could produce flash flooding.—
Kenton Gewecke,
ABC News,
10 June 2026
-
After receiving a firing order, the vehicles maneuvered into position and launched their rockets with bright flashes within three minutes, demonstrating their mobility.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
10 June 2026
Noun
-
Damaging wind gusts potentially topping 75 mph will take over as the main threat later Wednesday night, with individual storms expected to merge into cohesive lines from eastern Kansas first and eventually expand to western Ohio.—
Mary Gilbert,
CNN Money,
17 June 2026
-
The National Weather Service warned of winds from the west of 15 to 30 mph with gusts of up to 40 to 50 mph and low relative humidity.—
Phil Helsel,
NBC news,
17 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Spasm.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spasm. Accessed 17 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
