spring
/spɹɪŋ/
verb
Meaning
To weaken, as a joint, ligament, or muscle, by sudden and excessive exertion, as by wrenching; to overstrain, or stretch injuriously, but without luxation
"to sprain one's ankle"
noun
Meaning
An act of springing: a leap, a jump.
The season of the year in temperate regions in which plants spring from the ground and into bloom and dormant animals spring to life, variously reckoned as
"Spring is the time of the year most species reproduce."
The time of something's growth; the early stages of some process.
Someone with ivory or peach skin tone and eyes and hair that are not extremely dark, seen as best suited to certain colors of clothing.
Something which springs, springs forth, springs up, or springs back, particularly
An erection of the penis.
A crack which has sprung up in a mast, spar, or a plank or seam.
Springiness: an attribute or quality of springing, springing up, or springing back, particularly
The source from which an action or supply of something springs.
Something which causes others or another to spring forth or spring into action, particularly
Synonyms
verb
Meaning
To burst forth.
(of beards) To grow.
To cause to burst forth.
To make wet, to moisten.
(usually with "to" or "up") To rise suddenly, (of tears) to well up.
"The documentary made tears spring to their eyes."
(now usually with "apart" or "open") To burst into pieces, to explode, to shatter.
To go off.
To cause to explode, to set off, to detonate.
(usually perfective) To crack.
To have something crack.
To cause to crack.
To surprise by sudden or deft action.
(of arches) To build, to form the initial curve of.
"They sprung an arch over the lintel."
(of arches, with "from") To extend, to curve.
"The arches spring from the front posts."
To turn a vessel using a spring attached to its anchor cable.
To raise a vessel's sheer.
(cobblery) To raise a last's toe.
To pay or spend a certain sum, to cough up.
To raise an offered price.
To act as a spring: to strongly rebound.
To equip with springs, especially (of vehicles) to equip with a suspension.
To provide spring or elasticity
To inspire, to motivate.
To deform owing to excessive pressure, to become warped; to intentionally deform in order to position and then straighten in place.
"A piece of timber sometimes springs in seasoning."
(now rare) To reach maturity, to be fully grown.
(chiefly of cows) To swell with milk or pregnancy.
(of rattles) To sound, to play.
To spend the springtime somewhere
verb
Meaning
To hold tightly, to clasp.
To apply a force or forces to by stretching out.
"Relations between the United States and Guatemala traditionally have been close, although at times strained by human rights and civil/military issues."
To damage by drawing, stretching, or the exertion of force.
"The gale strained the timbers of the ship."
To act upon, in any way, so as to cause change of form or volume, as when bending a beam.
To exert or struggle (to do something), especially to stretch (one's senses, faculties etc.) beyond what is normal or comfortable.
"Sitting in back, I strained to hear the speaker."
To stretch beyond its proper limit; to do violence to, in terms of intent or meaning.
"to strain the law in order to convict an accused person"
To separate solid from liquid by passing through a strainer or colander
To percolate; to be filtered.
"water straining through a sandy soil"
To make uneasy or unnatural; to produce with apparent effort; to force; to constrain.
To urge with importunity; to press.
"to strain a petition or invitation"
Hug somebody; to hold somebody tightly.
verb
Meaning
To beget, generate (of light), engender, copulate (both of animals and humans), lie with, be born, come into the world.
"A man straineth, liveth, then dieth."