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
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
Injections of local anesthetics, such as Lidocaine, into the muscles or joints can reduce irritation, muscle spasms and abnormal nerve activities that result in pain.
—Dr. Patricia Richard, Hartford Courant, 14 Apr. 2026
The team listed forward Sam Hauser (lower back spasms) as available after initially deeming him questionable before the Knicks matchup.
—Fiifi Frimpong, New York Daily News, 9 Apr. 2026
People often feel tired first, before experiencing intense kidney pain, severe sweating and vomiting, full body cramps and spasms and a fierce sense of doom.
—Adam England, PEOPLE, 8 Apr. 2026
Powell previously had been listed as questionable due to back spasms, prior to being listed as out due to illness.
—Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 3 Apr. 2026
In 2016, Brooks could not even conceive of the spasms and breaches of etiquette that Trumpism would produce on an almost daily basis.
—Literary Hub, 2 Apr. 2026
The condition caused spasms affecting her ability to walk and use her vocal cords.
—Ryan Brennan, Kansas City Star, 31 Mar. 2026
In 2022, the Canadian singer-songwriter shared she had been diagnosed with stiff-person syndrome, a neurological disorder that can cause muscle spasms.
—Anna Kaufman, USA Today, 31 Mar. 2026
Meghan Montemurro, Chicago Tribune, 16 Apr. 2026
Injections of local anesthetics, such as Lidocaine, into the muscles or joints can reduce irritation, muscle spasms and abnormal nerve activities that result in pain.
—Dr. Patricia Richard, Hartford Courant, 14 Apr. 2026
The team listed forward Sam Hauser (lower back spasms) as available after initially deeming him questionable before the Knicks matchup.
—Fiifi Frimpong, New York Daily News, 9 Apr. 2026
People often feel tired first, before experiencing intense kidney pain, severe sweating and vomiting, full body cramps and spasms and a fierce sense of doom.
—Adam England, PEOPLE, 8 Apr. 2026
Powell previously had been listed as questionable due to back spasms, prior to being listed as out due to illness.
—Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 3 Apr. 2026
In 2016, Brooks could not even conceive of the spasms and breaches of etiquette that Trumpism would produce on an almost daily basis.
—Literary Hub, 2 Apr. 2026
The condition caused spasms affecting her ability to walk and use her vocal cords.
—Ryan Brennan, Kansas City Star, 31 Mar. 2026
In 2022, the Canadian singer-songwriter shared she had been diagnosed with stiff-person syndrome, a neurological disorder that can cause muscle spasms.
—Anna Kaufman, USA Today, 31 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spasms
Noun
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Each tablet contains 200 milligrams of ibuprofen and is one of the best over-the-counter pain relievers for those suffering from conditions such as muscular aches, minor arthritis pain, toothache, backache, menstrual cramps or minor aches.—
BestReviews,
Chicago Tribune,
16 Apr. 2026
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Reddy told Fox News Digital that salmonella bacteria can only be killed by cooking a raw egg — and the disease's symptoms include diarrhea, fever, stomach cramps, nausea and vomiting.—
Andrea Margolis,
FOXNews.com,
15 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Even activities like playing video games and watching TV, according to Yasinski, can be helpful if done in short bursts.—
Lesly Gregory,
AJC.com,
23 Apr. 2026
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Apply irrigation slowly, water in the early morning when temperatures are lower, and water in long sessions rather than short bursts.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
Southern Living,
23 Apr. 2026
Noun
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In California, with its history of wildfires often caused by arson or negligence, prosecutors have not shied away from filing criminal charges, including murder, against people suspected of starting blazes or explosions, Taylor said.—
Sharon Bernstein,
Sacbee.com,
11 Apr. 2026
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If such rockets could be launched at sea, then explosions would be less of an issue for neighbouring population centers.—
Christopher McFadden,
Interesting Engineering,
11 Apr. 2026
Noun
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This time, there wasn’t nearly as long of a gap between scoring outbursts.—
Steve Millar,
Chicago Tribune,
22 Apr. 2026
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Director Matt Pfeiffer tries not to tie it too strongly to an extreme light or dark mood but does keep up a snappy pace, plays most of the angriest outbursts for laughs and takes good advantage of the openness of the Playhouse on Park stage area.—
Christopher Arnott,
Hartford Courant,
21 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The idea underpinning this film is that when two friends get together, there are both literal and figurative eruptions.—
Daniel D'Addario,
Variety,
17 Apr. 2026
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Major eruptions of pushback against Meta include the Cambridge Analytica scandal in 2018, when the unauthorized harvesting of personal data from up to 87 million Facebook users was used for political advertising, adding to criticisms that the site pushes divisive and extreme political content.—
Ryan Cormier,
USA Today,
15 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The projection is tricky because the body type is so unusual, but the movement traits and disruptive flashes are worth a long look.—
Eddie Brown,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
18 Apr. 2026
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Grant, a 6-foot-3, 335-pound interior defensive lineman who can be athletic at his size, went through some rookie struggles and also some flashes.—
David Furones,
Sun Sentinel,
16 Apr. 2026
Noun
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With no rain in the forecast and a steady breeze with gusts of 20 to 25 mph, conditions are ripe for any fires that start to spread quickly, the National Weather Service said.—
Bill Kelly,
CBS News,
23 Apr. 2026
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The northern Outer Banks experienced gusts of 20 to 25 mph on Wednesday, and there was a moderate risk of rip currents, the National Weather Service said.—
Mark Price
April 23,
Charlotte Observer,
23 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Spasms.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spasms. Accessed 25 Apr. 2026.
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