1
as in cramps
a painful sudden tightening of a muscle
he suffers terribly from back spasms
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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
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Recent Examples of spasms
Hart entered the season with a splint in his right ring finger, sustained back spasms in the Abu Dhabi preseason opener against the 76ers then had another lower back injury this season.
—
Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 8 May 2026
Narges Mohammadi’s brother, Hamidreza, tells TIME that his sister is suffering from a condition known as Prinzmetal angina, which causes spasms in the coronary arteries and can trigger heart attacks and other serious complications.
—Connor Greene, Time, 8 May 2026
Baseball has a way of happening and Glasnow’s back spasms might just be the first thing to postpone the Dodgers’ decision on who gets bumped out of their overstuffed rotation.
—Bill Plunkett, Oc Register, 7 May 2026
The most common side effects of TEPEZZA include muscle cramps or spasms, nausea, hair loss, diarrhea, feeling tired, high blood sugar, hearing problems, taste changes, headache, dry skin, ear discomfort, weight loss, nail problems, and changes in menstruation.
—Emily Cegielski, Flow Space, 6 May 2026
He was sidelined since April 22 because of back spasms.
—CBS News, 2 May 2026
Neck spasms kept her out for all but the first four games of 2023-24, and she wasn’t cleared to return to the court until late February 2025.
—Emily Adams, Hartford Courant, 28 Apr. 2026
These are caused by uncontrolled spasms of the vocal cords, which affect the ability to produce a consistent sound.
—Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA Today, 23 Apr. 2026
Triple-A depth is starting to get healthy, too, with right-hander Corbin Martin coming off the IL on Sunday after dealing with back spasms and getting into Tuesday’s game, while right-hander Collin Snider (arm fatigue) is expected to pitch for Iowa in the next day or two.
—Meghan Montemurro, Chicago Tribune, 16 Apr. 2026
Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 8 May 2026
Narges Mohammadi’s brother, Hamidreza, tells TIME that his sister is suffering from a condition known as Prinzmetal angina, which causes spasms in the coronary arteries and can trigger heart attacks and other serious complications.
—Connor Greene, Time, 8 May 2026
Baseball has a way of happening and Glasnow’s back spasms might just be the first thing to postpone the Dodgers’ decision on who gets bumped out of their overstuffed rotation.
—Bill Plunkett, Oc Register, 7 May 2026
The most common side effects of TEPEZZA include muscle cramps or spasms, nausea, hair loss, diarrhea, feeling tired, high blood sugar, hearing problems, taste changes, headache, dry skin, ear discomfort, weight loss, nail problems, and changes in menstruation.
—Emily Cegielski, Flow Space, 6 May 2026
He was sidelined since April 22 because of back spasms.
—CBS News, 2 May 2026
Neck spasms kept her out for all but the first four games of 2023-24, and she wasn’t cleared to return to the court until late February 2025.
—Emily Adams, Hartford Courant, 28 Apr. 2026
These are caused by uncontrolled spasms of the vocal cords, which affect the ability to produce a consistent sound.
—Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA Today, 23 Apr. 2026
Triple-A depth is starting to get healthy, too, with right-hander Corbin Martin coming off the IL on Sunday after dealing with back spasms and getting into Tuesday’s game, while right-hander Collin Snider (arm fatigue) is expected to pitch for Iowa in the next day or two.
—Meghan Montemurro, Chicago Tribune, 16 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spasms
Noun
-
In the prodromal phase, infected people have vague flu-like symptoms, often fever, fatigue, headache, body aches, abdominal cramps, and gastrointestinal disturbances.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
8 May 2026
-
The Star spoke to former KU guard Elmarko Jackson about Peterson’s full-body cramps at the NCAA Tournament.—
Shreyas Laddha,
Kansas City Star,
8 May 2026
Noun
-
Scientists at Stanford found that biological aging accelerates in two distinct bursts, once around age 44 and again around 60, making the 30s and 40s a critical window for intervention.—
Allison Palmer,
Charlotte Observer,
6 May 2026
-
In fact, when experienced in short bursts, stress can be beneficial by increasing focus, improving performance and preparing the body to handle challenges.—
Danielle Wilhour,
The Conversation,
5 May 2026
Noun
-
Use of inert bombs – or bombs with a small yield – could explain the lack of a large explosions or secondary blasts that an explosive warhead could cause, analysts said.—
Brad Lendon,
CNN Money,
9 May 2026
-
The first of these explosions was spotted in 2018, and only 14 have been detected since, leading to a solid mystery for astronomers.—
Robert Lea,
Space.com,
8 May 2026
Noun
-
Like any public hearing, there were a few jokers who had some strange outbursts, but the majority of the over a dozen speakers weren’t satisfied with Gower’s presentation and used their times to ask questions of the owners as to what has taken so long with this project.—
Brian Welk,
IndieWire,
12 May 2026
-
Until then, neighbors will have to deal with the man's outbursts.—
Lauren Pozen,
CBS News,
8 May 2026
Noun
-
Both agencies agree there is a chance for additional M flares and maybe even X-class eruptions over the coming days as sunspot regions AR4436 and AR4432 continue to evolve.—
Daisy Dobrijevic,
Space.com,
11 May 2026
-
The search operation that involved more than 100 personnel supported by drones resumed early Saturday, focusing on a 700 square-meter (7,500 square-foot) area where clues were found during earlier searches, despite hazardous terrain and continuing eruptions, according to Ramdani.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
9 May 2026
Noun
-
As the road cut through a jagged pitch of mountains on the 30-minute drive from Figari South Corsica airport, rhythmic flashes of the glittering sea and lush, wild terrain flickered at every turn.—
Rebekah Peppler,
Travel + Leisure,
9 May 2026
-
The Artemis 2 astronauts remained vigilant while zipping around the far side of the moon last month, on the ready to record meteoroid impact flashes on the lunar landscape.—
Leonard David,
Space.com,
8 May 2026
Noun
-
Residents can look for wind gusts of up to 40 mph.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
7 May 2026
-
Sustained, strong winds with even stronger gusts are happening.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
7 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Spasms.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spasms. Accessed 15 May. 2026.
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