Spring

/spɹɪŋ/ name, noun, verb, slang

name, noun, verb, slang ·Top 500 ·Elementary level

Meaning at a glance

  • Primary sense: An act of springing: a leap, a jump.
  • Grammar: spring is listed as name, noun, verb, slang.
  • Nearest alternatives: bound, leap, natural spring, springtime.
  • Useful contrasts: autumn, autumnal, autumns.
  • Usage evidence: Spring will be here before long.

How to use "spring"

  1. Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
  2. Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "spring" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
  3. Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.

Meaning check

  • Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
  • Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
  • Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
  • Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?

Source and review context

This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "spring" in a final draft.

If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.

Before you rely on this definition

Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "spring" as the right word for your sentence.

If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "spring" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.

Compare nearby meanings

  • Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
  • Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
  • Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
  • Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.

Definition decision workflow

1. Identify the role

Check whether "spring" is acting as name, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.

2. Test the nearest option

Compare it with "bound" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.

3. Confirm with context

Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.

Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.

Final meaning check

Before publishing a sentence with "spring", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.

When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    An act of springing: a leap, a jump. countable

    "The pris'ner with a spring from prison broke; Then stretch'd his feather'd fans with all his might, And to the neighb'ring maple wing'd his flight."

  2. 2
    a light, self-propelled movement upwards or forwards wordnet
  3. 3
    The season of the year in temperate regions in which temperatures and daylight hours rise, and plants spring from the ground and into bloom and dormant animals spring to life. countable, uncountable

    "Spring is the time of the year most species reproduce."

  4. 4
    a metal elastic device that returns to its shape or position when pushed or pulled or pressed wordnet
  5. 5
    The season of the year in temperate regions in which temperatures and daylight hours rise, and plants spring from the ground and into bloom and dormant animals spring to life.; The period from the moment of vernal equinox (around March 21 in the Northern Hemisphere) to the moment of the summer solstice (around June 21); the equivalent periods reckoned in other cultures and calendars. countable, uncountable

    "Chinese New Year always occurs in January or February but is called the "Spring Festival" throughout East Asia because it is reckoned as the beginning of their spring."

Show 25 more definitions
  1. 6
    the elasticity of something that can be stretched and returns to its original length wordnet
  2. 7
    The season of the year in temperate regions in which temperatures and daylight hours rise, and plants spring from the ground and into bloom and dormant animals spring to life.; The three months of March, April, and May in the Northern Hemisphere and September, October, and November in the Southern Hemisphere. countable, uncountable

    "I spent my spring holidays in Morocco."

  3. 8
    a point at which water issues forth wordnet
  4. 9
    The time of something's growth; the early stages of some process. figuratively, uncountable

    "...and it came to passe about the spring of the day, that Samuel called Saul to the top of the house..."

  5. 10
    a natural flow of ground water wordnet
  6. 11
    The time of something's growth; the early stages of some process.; a period of political liberalization and democratization countable, figuratively, uncountable

    "Arab Spring"

  7. 12
    the season of growth; spring; the beginning of spring wordnet
  8. 13
    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. countable
  9. 14
    Something which springs, springs forth, springs up, or springs back, particularly; A spray or body of water springing from the ground. countable, uncountable

    "This beer was brewed with pure spring water."

  10. 15
    Something which springs, springs forth, springs up, or springs back, particularly; The rising of the sea at high tide. countable, obsolete, uncountable
  11. 16
    Something which springs, springs forth, springs up, or springs back, particularly; Ellipsis of spring tide, the especially high tide shortly after full and new moons. abbreviation, alt-of, countable, ellipsis, uncountable
  12. 17
    Something which springs, springs forth, springs up, or springs back, particularly; An elastic mechanical part or device in any shape (e.g., flat, curved, coiled), made of flexible material (usually spring steel) that exerts force and attempts to spring back when bent, compressed, or stretched. countable, uncountable

    "We jumped so hard the bed springs broke."

  13. 18
    Something which springs, springs forth, springs up, or springs back, particularly; A line from a vessel's end or side to its anchor cable used to diminish or control its movement. countable, uncountable

    "He had warped round with the springs on his cable, and had recommenced his fire upon the Aurora."

  14. 19
    Something which springs, springs forth, springs up, or springs back, particularly; A line laid out from a vessel's end to the opposite end of an adjacent vessel or mooring to diminish or control its movement. countable, uncountable

    "You should put a couple of springs onto the jetty to stop the boat moving so much."

  15. 20
    Something which springs, springs forth, springs up, or springs back, particularly; A race, a lineage. countable, figuratively, uncountable
  16. 21
    Something which springs, springs forth, springs up, or springs back, particularly; A youth. countable, figuratively, uncountable
  17. 22
    Something which springs, springs forth, springs up, or springs back, particularly; A shoot, a young tree. countable, uncountable
  18. 23
    Something which springs, springs forth, springs up, or springs back, particularly; A grove of trees; a forest. countable, uncountable
  19. 24
    An erection of the penis. countable, slang
  20. 25
    A crack which has sprung up in a mast, spar, or (rare) a plank or seam. countable, obsolete

    "A spar is said to be sprung, when it is cracked or split,... and the crack is called a spring."

  21. 26
    Springiness: an attribute or quality of springing, springing up, or springing back, particularly; Elasticity: the property of a body springing back to its original form after compression, stretching, etc. countable, uncountable

    "the spring of a bow"

  22. 27
    Springiness: an attribute or quality of springing, springing up, or springing back, particularly; Elastic energy, power, or force. countable, uncountable

    "Heav'ns what a spring was in his Arm, to throw: How high he held his Shield, and rose at ev'ry blow!"

  23. 28
    The source from which an action or supply of something springs. countable

    "As wel the singers as the players on instruments shall bee there: all my springs are in thee."

  24. 29
    Something which causes others or another to spring forth or spring into action, particularly; A cause, a motive, etc. countable, uncountable

    "Our Author ſhuns by vulgar Springs to move / The Hero's Glory, or the Virgin's Love; […]"

  25. 30
    Something which causes others or another to spring forth or spring into action, particularly; A lively piece of music. countable, obsolete, uncountable

    "The firstand spring the fiddle did play Hey wi the gay and the grinding Said, "Ye'll drown my sister, as she's dune me." At the bony bony bows of London"

Verb
  1. 1
    To move or burst forth. intransitive

    "The boat sprang a leak and began to sink."

  2. 2
    To spend the springtime somewhere. intransitive

    "True it is that, owing to the migratory propensities of our countrymen, every third man has wintered at Naples, springed at Vienna, summered in Switzerland, and autumned on the banks of the Lago Maggiore;"

  3. 3
    develop suddenly wordnet
  4. 4
    To move or burst forth.; To appear. intransitive

    "...so the man tooke his concubine, and brought her foorth vnto them, and they knew her, and abused her all the night vntil the morning: and when the day began to spring, they let her goe."

  5. 5
    produce or disclose suddenly or unexpectedly wordnet
Show 39 more definitions
  1. 6
    To move or burst forth.; To grow, to sprout. intransitive

    "Who hath diuided a water-course for the ouerflowing of waters? or a way for the lightning of thunder, To cause it to raine on the earth, where no man is: on the wildernesse wherein there is no man? To satisfie the desolate and waste ground, and to cause the bud of the tender herbe to spring forth."

  2. 7
    spring back; spring away from an impact wordnet
  3. 8
    To move or burst forth.; To grow, to sprout.; To mature. UK, dialectal, intransitive
  4. 9
    move forward by leaps and bounds wordnet
  5. 10
    To move or burst forth.; To arise, to come into existence. figuratively, intransitive
  6. 11
    develop into a distinctive entity wordnet
  7. 12
    To move or burst forth.; To enliven. figuratively, intransitive, sometimes

    "He hit the gas and the car sprang to life."

  8. 13
    To move or burst forth.; To move with great speed and energy. figuratively, intransitive, usually

    "Deer spring with their hind legs, using their front hooves to steady themselves."

  9. 14
    To move or burst forth.; To be born, descend, or originate from intransitive, usually

    "He sprang from peasant stock."

  10. 15
    To move or burst forth.; To rise in social position or military rank, to be promoted. intransitive, obsolete
  11. 16
    To cause to spring (all senses). transitive
  12. 17
    To cause to spring (all senses).; To cause to work or open by sudden application of pressure. transitive

    "He sprang the trap."

  13. 18
    To leap over. transitive

    "I sprang the fence, and was soon in the village street."

  14. 19
    To breed with, to impregnate. obsolete

    "...[they] sought the fairest stoned horses to spring their mares..."

  15. 20
    To wet, to moisten. obsolete, transitive
  16. 21
    To burst into pieces, to explode, to shatter. intransitive, usually

    "On the 22nd the mines sprang, and took very good effect."

  17. 22
    To go off. obsolete

    "The whole contraption appears liable to spring apart at any moment."

  18. 23
    To crack. ambitransitive, perfective, usually

    "The Edward sprang hir foremast."

  19. 24
    To come upon and flush out.

    "For generations of men the springer spaniel has been looked upon as the dog for springing pheasants in covert and finding and retrieving dead birds or winged runners when ordered to do so. The properly broken dog will not chase, but drop to wing and shot."

  20. 25
    To catch in an illegal act or compromising position. Australia, slang

    "He figured that nobody would ever spring him, but he figured wrong."

  21. 26
    To begin. obsolete
  22. 27
    To put bad money into circulation. obsolete, slang
  23. 28
    To tell, to share.

    "Sorry to spring it on you like this but I've been offered another job."

  24. 29
    To free from imprisonment, especially by facilitating an illegal escape. US, slang, transitive

    "His lieutenants hired a team of miners to help spring him."

  25. 30
    To be free of imprisonment, especially by illegal escape. intransitive, rare, slang
  26. 31
    To build, to form the initial curve of. transitive

    "They sprung an arch over the lintel."

  27. 32
    To extend, to curve. intransitive

    "The arches spring from the front posts."

  28. 33
    To turn a vessel using a spring attached to its anchor cable. transitive
  29. 34
    To pay or spend a certain sum, to yield. transitive

    "He wouldn't spring a nickel for a bag of peanuts."

  30. 35
    To raise an offered price. intransitive, obsolete, slang
  31. 36
    Alternative form of sprain. US, alt-of, alternative, dialectal, transitive
  32. 37
    Alternative form of strain. US, alt-of, alternative, dialectal, transitive
  33. 38
    To act as a spring: to strongly rebound. intransitive, obsolete
  34. 39
    To equip with springs, especially (of vehicles) to equip with a suspension. rare, transitive
  35. 40
    to inspire, to motivate. figuratively, obsolete, rare
  36. 41
    To deform owing to excessive pressure, to become warped; to intentionally deform in order to position and then straighten in place. ambitransitive

    "Don't drive it in too hard, as it will ‘spring’ the plane-iron, and make it concave."

  37. 42
    To swell with milk or pregnancy. UK, dialectal, intransitive

    "“Gee, Dad, Nancy’s springing all right,” Ray said and paused in spontaneous pleasure. Stan Parker came, and together they looked at their swelling heifer."

  38. 43
    To sound, to play. archaic, transitive

    "I do not know how John and his mistress would have settled the fate of the thief, but just at this moment a policeman entered — for the cook had sprung the rattle, and had been screaming "Murder" and "Thieves.""

  39. 44
    To find or get enough food during springtime.
Proper Noun
  1. 1
    A surname. countable
  2. 2
    A census-designated place in Harris County, Texas, United States. countable, uncountable
  3. 3
    Alternative form of spring, the season of warmth and new vegetation following winter. alt-of, alternative, countable, uncountable

    "There the roſy-finger'd Spring, by the liquid mirror of a cryſtalline pool, was attiring her fair daughters in ſeven-fold ornaments, while the love-whiſpering breezes ſtole kiſſes as they paſſed, and fanned their glowing beauties."

Synonyms

All synonyms
boundleapnatural springspringtimeaccrue fromadaptability

Example

"Spring will be here before long."

Common questions

What does "spring" mean?

An act of springing: a leap, a jump.

What is a synonym for "spring"?

Common synonyms include: bound, leap, natural spring, springtime, accrue from, adaptability.

How do you use "spring" in a sentence?

Spring will be here before long.

How do you pronounce "spring"?

Pronounced /spɹɪŋ/.

Etymology

Etymology 1

From Middle English springen, from Old English springan (“to spring, leap, bounce, sprout forth, emerge, spread out”), from Proto-West Germanic *springan, from Proto-Germanic *springaną (“to burst forth”), from Proto-Indo-European *spre(n)ǵʰ- (“to move, race, spring”), from *sper- (“to jerk, twitch, snap, shove”). Cognates * Saterland Frisian springe * West Frisian springe * Dutch springen * German Low German springen * German springen * Danish springe * Swedish springa * Norwegian springe * Faroese springa * Icelandic springa (“to burst, explode”). Other possible cognates include Lithuanian spreñgti (“to push (in)”), Old Church Slavonic прѧсти (pręsti, “to spin, to stretch”), Latin spargere (“to sprinkle, to scatter”), Ancient Greek σπέρχω (spérkhō, “to hasten”), Sanskrit स्पृहयति (spṛháyati, “to be eager”). Some newer senses derived from the noun.

Etymology 2

From Middle English spryng (“a wellspring, tide, branch, sunrise, kind of dance or blow, ulcer, snare, flock”); partly from Old English spring (“wellspring, ulcer”), from Proto-West Germanic *spring, from Proto-Germanic *springaz (“a wellspring, fount”); and partly from Old English spryng (“a jump”), from Proto-West Germanic *sprungi, from Proto-Germanic *sprungiz (“a jump”). Further senses derived from the verb and from clippings of day-spring, springtime, spring tide, etc. Its sense as the season, first attested in a work predating 1325, gradually replaced Middle English lente, lentin, from Old English lencten (“spring, Lent”) as that word became more specifically liturgical. Compare fall.

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Synonyms

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