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
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
These will be Dion’s inaugural performances since being diagnosed with stiff person syndrome—a rare, incurable neurological disorder that causes spasms and other physical difficulties—in 2022.
—Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 30 Mar. 2026
In 2022, Dion canceled her North America tour due to muscle spasms.
—Katie Simons, Los Angeles Times, 30 Mar. 2026
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
These will be Dion’s inaugural performances since being diagnosed with stiff person syndrome—a rare, incurable neurological disorder that causes spasms and other physical difficulties—in 2022.
—Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 30 Mar. 2026
In 2022, Dion canceled her North America tour due to muscle spasms.
—Katie Simons, Los Angeles Times, 30 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spasms
Noun
-
Symptoms include severe stomach cramps, diarrhea, fever, nausea, and/or vomiting.—
Michele Laufik,
Martha Stewart,
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
Noun
-
The American Beauty rose is a climbing rose that adds bursts of color to your fence.—
Claudia Guthrie,
The Spruce,
9 Apr. 2026
-
The first of these—a cult favorite among writers, particularly youngish women writers—put Lemann on the map as a singular stylist, capable of crystalline insights into the miscreants and oddballs of the American South and great bursts of unrestrained sentiment.—
Brandy Jensen,
New Yorker,
8 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
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
-
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
-
Trump’s outbursts bespoke the frustration of a thoroughly incompetent ruler who began a war with no plan for how to conduct or conclude it and was unprepared for Iran’s resistance.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
8 Apr. 2026
-
It’s been nearly two months since the BAFTA Film Awards were upended by a series of profoundly upsetting outbursts during the February ceremony.—
Kate Erbland,
IndieWire,
8 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Across the jagged volcanic landscape of spontaneous eruptions and tumbling detritus, a space of relative calm will invariably open up.—
Philip Sherburne,
Pitchfork,
13 Apr. 2026
-
Geomagnetic storms, on the other hand, are caused by the impact of rapid streams of plasma on Earth's magnetic field, most dramatic during violent eruptions of plasma (coronal mass ejections) from the sun.—
Ryan French,
Space.com,
13 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Crow-Armstrong, who’s shown flashes of being one of the sport’s most electrifying players, has one home run through 59 plate appearances.—
Patrick Mooney,
New York Times,
12 Apr. 2026
-
The crew experienced a solar eclipse, including 54 minutes of totality where the sun’s light was blocked by Earth, spied planets, photographed the Milky Way and even witnessed flashes of light as space rocks slammed into the moon.—
Jackie Wattles,
CNN Money,
11 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Augusta National can still take a bite out of anyone with enough swirling gusts to bring indecision, or bad shots that wind up in the wrong spot.—
Doug Ferguson,
Chicago Tribune,
9 Apr. 2026
-
Milton made landfall in the Tampa area as a Category 3, and passed south of Orlando, with peak gusts of 87 mph at Orlando International Airport.—
Ryan Gillespie,
The Orlando Sentinel,
8 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Spasms.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spasms. Accessed 15 Apr. 2026.
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