Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
dictionary thesaurus

Thesaurus

spring

noun

Synonyms and Antonyms of spring

1 an act of leaping into the air

  • the deer gave a sudden spring and disappeared into the woods
Synonyms of spring

bound, hop, jump, leap, vault
Words Related to spring

bounce, lope, skip

caper, capriole, gambado, gambol

attack, pounce

dive, pitch, plunge

2 a point or place at which something is invented or provided

  • the springs of this time-honored tradition run too deep to allow for easy explanation
Synonyms of spring

cradle, font, fountain, fountainhead, origin, root, seedbed, source, well, wellspring
Words Related to spring

beginning, commencement, dawn, day one, genesis, get-go (also git-go), inception, incipience, incipiency, kickoff, launch, morning, nascence, nascency, onset, outset, start, threshold

baseline, first base, ground zero, square one

spring

verb

Synonyms and Antonyms of spring

1 to come into existence

  • when it comes to love and romance, hope springs eternally
Synonyms of spring

actualize, appear, arise, begin, break, commence, dawn, engender, form, materialize, originate, set in, start
Words Related to spring

be, breathe, exist, live, subsist

arrive, come on, emerge

coalesce, cohere, shape (up)

continue, endure, last, persist, survive
Near Antonyms of spring

conclude, desist, discontinue, finish, halt, quit, terminate

disappear, dissolve, evaporate, vanish

depart, die, expire, pass away, perish
Antonyms of spring

cease, end, stop

2 to propel oneself upward or forward into the air

  • the cat sprang and pounced on the mouse
Synonyms of spring

bound, hop, jump, leap, vault
Words Related to spring

bounce, hurdle, leapfrog, lope, skip

buck

caper, capriole, cavort, frolic, gambol, romp

attack, pounce

shoot, skyrocket

3 to set free (as from slavery or confinement)

  • had to spend a night in jail until their lawyer could come to spring them
Synonyms of spring

discharge, disenthrall (also disenthral), emancipate, enfranchise, enlarge, free, liberate, loose, loosen, manumit, release, unbind, uncage, unchain, unfetter
Words Related to spring

bail (out), deliver, parole, ransom, redeem, rescue, save

adrift, disembarrass, disencumber, disengage, disentangle, extricate

unshackle
Phrases Synonymous with spring

turn loose
Near Antonyms of spring

handcuff, manacle, shackle, trammel

commit, immure, imprison, incarcerate, intern, jail, lock (up)

conquer, enslave, subdue, subjugate
Antonyms of spring

bind, confine, enchain, fetter, restrain

Synonym Discussion of spring

spring, arise, rise, originate, derive, flow, issue, emanate, proceed, stem mean to come up or out of something into existence. spring implies rapid or sudden emerging.
    • an idea that springs to mind
arise and rise may both convey the fact of coming into existence or notice but rise often stresses gradual growth or ascent.
    • new questions have arisen
    • slowly rose to prominence
originate implies a definite source or starting point.
    • the fire originated in the basement
derive implies a prior existence in another form.
    • the holiday derives from an ancient Roman feast
flow adds to spring a suggestion of abundance or ease of inception.
    • words flowed easily from her pen
issue suggests emerging from confinement through an outlet.
    • blood issued from the cut
emanate applies to the coming of something immaterial (such as a thought) from a source.
    • reports emanating from the capital
proceed stresses place of origin, derivation, parentage, or logical cause.
    • advice that proceeds from the best of intentions
stem implies originating by dividing or branching off from something as an outgrowth or subordinate development.
    • industries stemming from space research

Learn More about spring

  1. See words that rhyme with spring Dictionary: Definition of spring Medical Dictionary: Definition of spring Spanish Central: Translation of spring Nglish: Translation of spring for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of spring for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about spring

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up spring? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show comments hide comments

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

WORD OF THE DAY

milieu

the setting in which something occurs

Get Word of the Day daily email!

TRENDING NOW

  1. Spartan Red Cross Warns of Shelter Conditions

  2. hirsute RIP Burt Reynolds

  3. op-ed NYT Publishes Anonymous Piece

  4. collegiality Kavanaugh Mentions Word in Hearing

  5. mistrial Manafort Guilty on 8 Counts

SEE ALL

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games