1
as in cramps
a painful sudden tightening of a muscle
he suffers terribly from back spasms
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in bursts
a sudden intense expression of strong feeling
a spasm of love that he had never experienced before
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of spasms
This Hong Kong film’s guiding force is So Wa Wai (Chung-Hang Leung), a real athlete whose aspirations were nearly thwarted by cerebral spasms that made even walking difficult.
—
Chris Snellgrove, Entertainment Weekly, 2 Jan. 2026
Dion has continued to battle stiff-person disorder, a rare disease that attacks the nervous system and causes pain and muscle spasms.
—Tomás Mier, Rolling Stone, 31 Dec. 2025
Arellano said her spasms initially started in one arm, then progressed to both arms and then to full body spasms.
—Mustafa Fattah, NBC news, 24 Dec. 2025
James, who recently returned to the lineup following missing almost the first full month of the season with lower back spasms, has re-integrated with the team.
—Tyler Erzberger, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 Dec. 2025
Smart was ruled out against the Suns on Monday afternoon because of lower back injury management – a change in injury designation after being listed as out for last Friday’s victory over the Dallas Mavericks and Sunday night’s win against the New Orleans Pelicans because of back spasms.
—Khobi Price, Oc Register, 2 Dec. 2025
Queta and Brown both were listed as questionable for Saturday’s game, with the latter nursing low back spasms.
—Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 30 Nov. 2025
Moments later, the spasms began.
—Sean Williams, Outside, 27 Oct. 2025
Edwards was questionable ahead of the season opener in Portland with back spasms, but played and scored 41 points against the Blazers.
—Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 26 Oct. 2025
Chris Snellgrove, Entertainment Weekly, 2 Jan. 2026
Dion has continued to battle stiff-person disorder, a rare disease that attacks the nervous system and causes pain and muscle spasms.
—Tomás Mier, Rolling Stone, 31 Dec. 2025
Arellano said her spasms initially started in one arm, then progressed to both arms and then to full body spasms.
—Mustafa Fattah, NBC news, 24 Dec. 2025
James, who recently returned to the lineup following missing almost the first full month of the season with lower back spasms, has re-integrated with the team.
—Tyler Erzberger, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 Dec. 2025
Smart was ruled out against the Suns on Monday afternoon because of lower back injury management – a change in injury designation after being listed as out for last Friday’s victory over the Dallas Mavericks and Sunday night’s win against the New Orleans Pelicans because of back spasms.
—Khobi Price, Oc Register, 2 Dec. 2025
Queta and Brown both were listed as questionable for Saturday’s game, with the latter nursing low back spasms.
—Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 30 Nov. 2025
Moments later, the spasms began.
—Sean Williams, Outside, 27 Oct. 2025
Edwards was questionable ahead of the season opener in Portland with back spasms, but played and scored 41 points against the Blazers.
—Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 26 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spasms
Noun
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Peterson has played limited minutes in the second halves of games since returning from his two-game absence also caused by cramps.—
Shreyas Laddha,
Kansas City Star,
13 Jan. 2026
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That included three or more loose stools within a 24-hour period, or what is more than normal for that specific person, or vomiting with one of the following symptoms – diarrhea, muscle aches, headaches, abdominal cramps or a fever.—
Steven Yablonski,
CBS News,
12 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
What to do if a pipe bursts Signs of a burst pipe include pooling water, damp walls or ceilings, or the sound of running water when no fixtures are on.—
Sergio Candido,
CBS News,
22 Jan. 2026
-
Nature—and its subtlest micro-shifts—are the main protagonists, from the green humidity of summer, the sound of cicadas ringing thick in the air to the fiery blaze of autumn leaves (courtesy of approximately 3,000 Japanese maple trees) and the fresh cloud-like bursts of springtime sakura.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
22 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
While Russian defense officials did not say where the Oreshnik hit this time, Ukrainian authorities on Friday reported several explosions and a ballistic missile strike in the western city of Lviv.—
Nick Paton Walsh,
CNN Money,
9 Jan. 2026
-
Test explosions became increasingly rare.—
Chicago Tribune,
Twin Cities,
9 Jan. 2026
Noun
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In September 2025 the mission captured particularly extraordinary footage of three separate outbursts in just five hours.—
Meghan Bartels,
Scientific American,
21 Jan. 2026
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In the present day, Muck crashes his dinner party with lewd outbursts and runs off with an old friend (Jack Farthing), who is later revealed to be a mirage of his late father.—
Natalie Oganesyan,
Deadline,
18 Jan. 2026
Noun
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After analyzing data collected by the Low Frequency Array (LOFAR) in the Netherlands and India’s Giant Meterwave Radio Telescope (uGMRT), researchers say there is undeniable evidence of multiple eruptions stretching deep into the universe’s past.—
Andrew Paul,
Popular Science,
15 Jan. 2026
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The project has yielded some certainties and if repeated will allow the analysis of changes that eventually will help authorities make better decisions when eruptions occur.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
11 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Tracy’s script skewers the hollow moral language of powerful corporate elites like Stone’s character, while also probing the anger and alienation driving Teddy and Don, treating their bonkers beliefs with both satire and unsettling flashes of emotional truth.—
Patrick Brzeski,
HollywoodReporter,
13 Jan. 2026
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Those flickers or flashes were used to show intrusive thoughts or moments of wonder.—
Destiny Jackson,
Deadline,
13 Jan. 2026
Noun
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On Saturday, winds are expected to blow at about 20 to 25 knots (about 23 to 29 mph), with gusts up to 30 knots (roughly 35 mph), NWS said.—
Bailey Allen,
The Providence Journal,
22 Jan. 2026
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Temperatures are expected to reach a high of 18 with wind gusts as high as 15 mph.—
Staff Report,
Hartford Courant,
22 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Spasms.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spasms. Accessed 24 Jan. 2026.
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