Meanings
verbsprain (third-person singular simple present sprains, present participle spraining, simple past and past participle sprained)
present singular third person sprains · participle present spraining · participle past sprained · past sprained
- To weaken, as a joint, ligament, or muscle, by sudden and excessive exertion, as by wrenching; to overstrain, or stretch injuriously, but without luxation
He sprained his knee after falling off the bicycle.
1 more example
Hi! I suppose you're expecting the Roadrunner! Well, he sprained a giblet cornering a sharp coive the other day, uh, so, uh, I'm standing in for him.
1963 June 8, Hare-Breadth Hurry, spoken by Bugs Bunny
Synonyms & antonyms
verbTo weaken, as a joint, ligament, or muscle, by sudden and excessive exertion, as by wrenching; to overstrain, or stretch injuriously, but without luxation
nounThe act or result of spraining; lameness caused by spraining
Similar
More synonyms by meaning
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Latinexprimere“to squeeze out, express”
- Middle Frenchespraindre“to squeeze or press out”
- Englishsprain
Origin unknown. Noun attested since 1601; verb attested 1622. Possibly borrowed from Middle French espraindre (“to squeeze or press out”), from Latin exprimere (“to squeeze out, express”), in which case cognate to express.
More words from Middle French, Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Afrikaans swik, verstuit
- swikto weaken a joint, ligament, or muscle
- verstuitto weaken a joint, ligament, or muscle
Ancient Greek στρέμμα
- στρέμμα (strémma)act or result of spraining
Arabic اِلْتِوَاء
- اِلْتِوَاء (iltiwāʔ)act or result of spraining
Basque bihurritu
- bihurrituto weaken a joint, ligament, or muscle
Bulgarian изкълчвам, навяхвам
- изкълчвам (izkălčvam)to weaken a joint, ligament, or muscle
- навяхвам (navjahvam)to weaken a joint, ligament, or muscle
- изкъ́лчване (izkắlčvane)act or result of spraining
- навя́хване (navjáhvane)act or result of spraining
Catalan torçada, esquinç
- torçadaact or result of spraining
- esquinçact or result of spraining
Chinese Mandarin 扭傷 /扭伤, 扭傷 /扭伤
- 扭傷 /扭伤 (niǔshāng)to weaken a joint, ligament, or muscle
- 扭傷 /扭伤 (niǔshāng)act or result of spraining
Czech vyvrtnout si, zvrtnout si
- vyvrtnout sito weaken a joint, ligament, or muscle
- zvrtnout sito weaken a joint, ligament, or muscle
- udělat si výronto weaken a joint, ligament, or muscle
- podvrtnout si (kotník)to weaken a joint, ligament, or muscle
- natáhnout si (sval)to weaken a joint, ligament, or muscle
- vyvrtnutíact or result of spraining
- zvrtnutíact or result of spraining
- podvrtnutíact or result of spraining
- výron (kotníku)act or result of spraining
Danish forstuve, forstuvning
- forstuveto weaken a joint, ligament, or muscle
- forstuvningact or result of spraining
Dutch verstuiken, verstuiking
- verstuikento weaken a joint, ligament, or muscle
- verstuikingact or result of spraining
Finnish nyrjäyttää, nyrjähtää
- nyrjäyttääto weaken a joint, ligament, or muscle
- nyrjähtääto weaken a joint, ligament, or muscle
- venäyttääto weaken a joint, ligament, or muscle
- venähtääto weaken a joint, ligament, or muscle
- nyrjähdysact or result of spraining
- venähdysact or result of spraining
French se fouler, entorse
- se foulerto weaken a joint, ligament, or muscle
- entorseact or result of spraining
German verstauchen, Verstauchung
- verstauchento weaken a joint, ligament, or muscle
- Verstauchungact or result of spraining
Greek διάστρεμμα
- διάστρεμμα (diástremma)act or result of spraining
Hebrew נָקַע
- נָקַעto weaken a joint, ligament, or muscle
Hindi मोच
- मोच (moc)act or result of spraining
Hungarian megrándít, rándulás
- megrándítto weaken a joint, ligament, or muscle
- rándulásact or result of spraining
Indonesian kilir, pelecok
- kilirto weaken a joint, ligament, or muscle
- pelecokto weaken a joint, ligament, or muscle
- seleoto weaken a joint, ligament, or muscle
- seliuhto weaken a joint, ligament, or muscle
- keseleoact or result of spraining
- salah urat terkiliract or result of spraining
- terpelecokact or result of spraining
- terseliuhact or result of spraining
Irish leon
- leonto weaken a joint, ligament, or muscle
Italian slogare, slogatura
- slogareto weaken a joint, ligament, or muscle
- slogaturaact or result of spraining
- contorsioneact or result of spraining
Japanese 挫く, 捻挫する
- 挫く (kujiku)to weaken a joint, ligament, or muscle
- 捻挫する (nenza-suru)to weaken a joint, ligament, or muscle
- 捻挫 (nenza)act or result of spraining
Korean 삐다, 염좌
- 삐다 (ppida)to weaken a joint, ligament, or muscle
- 염좌 (yeomjwa)act or result of spraining
Malay terseliuh
- terseliuhact or result of spraining
Māori takoki, tanuku
- takokito weaken a joint, ligament, or muscle
- tanukuto weaken a joint, ligament, or muscle
Norwegian Bokmål forstuelse, strekk
- forstuelseact or result of spraining
- strekkact or result of spraining
Polish skręcać, skręcić
- skręcaćto weaken a joint, ligament, or muscle
- skręcićto weaken a joint, ligament, or muscle
- zwichnąćto weaken a joint, ligament, or muscle
- skręcenieact or result of spraining
- zwichnięcieact or result of spraining
Portuguese torcer, torcedura
- torcerto weaken a joint, ligament, or muscle
- torceduraact or result of spraining
- torçãoact or result of spraining
Romanian entorsă
- entorsăact or result of spraining
Russian растя́гивать, растяну́ть
- растя́гивать (rastjágivatʹ)to weaken a joint, ligament, or muscle
- растяну́ть (rastjanútʹ)to weaken a joint, ligament, or muscle
- растяже́ние (rastjažénije)act or result of spraining
Scottish Gaelic snìomh
- snìomhact or result of spraining
Slovak podvrtnutie
- podvrtnutieact or result of spraining
Spanish torcer, esguinzar
- torcerto weaken a joint, ligament, or muscle
- esguinzarto weaken a joint, ligament, or muscle
- hacerse un esguinceto weaken a joint, ligament, or muscle
- distenderto weaken a joint, ligament, or muscle
- distensiónto weaken a joint, ligament, or muscle
- torceduraact or result of spraining
- esguinceact or result of spraining
- desguinceact or result of spraining
Swedish stuka
- stukato weaken a joint, ligament, or muscle
Tagalog malisok
- malisokto weaken a joint, ligament, or muscle
Tamil சுளுக்கு, சுளுக்கு
- சுளுக்கு (cuḷukku)to weaken a joint, ligament, or muscle
- சுளுக்கு (cuḷukku)act or result of spraining
Turkish burkulma
- burkulmaact or result of spraining
Ukrainian розтя́гнення
- розтя́гнення (roztjáhnennja)act or result of spraining
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with sprain
mainagaindomainSpainpaincampaignchainmaintaingaintrainobtainremaincontainrainmaineexplainlaneplainjaneplaneWayneUkrainegrainstrain
All rhymes →Anagrams
Cite this entry
APA
sprain. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sprain
MLA
“sprain.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sprain. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “sprain,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sprain.
Source: sprain on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.