spring
verb · noun
Simple meaning
To move or burst forth.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
springIPA pronunciation (US)
ˈspɹɪŋ
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
verb
intransitive
To move or burst forth.
figurativeusually with cardinal adverbs
To move with great speed and energy.
intransitivenow usually with "apart" or "open"
To burst into pieces, to explode, to shatter.
figurative
To arise, to come into existence.
of mechanisms
To cause to work or open by sudden application of pressure.
transitive
To leap over.
noun
countable
An act of springing: a leap, a jump.
countableuncountable
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 season of growth
“The emerging buds were a sure sign of spring.”
uncountablefigurative
The time of something's growth; the early stages of some process.
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.
A point at which water issues forth
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- A2 · Elementary
- Frequency
- Very Common
- Typical Use
- Everyday English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: To move or burst forth.
Used this way, spring is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- No strong connotation
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use spring
- “The emerging buds were a sure sign of spring.”noun
Share your sentence
Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Inflected forms
Grammatical variations of the same word.
The lowest stone in an arch -- from which it springs.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
Thoroughly clean the entire house, often done only once a year.
The activity of cleaning a house thoroughly at the end of winter.
Annual having the stem beset with curved prickles.
Small white-flowered cress common in wet places in eastern North America.
March 21.
Similar to bullfrog.
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
Use This Word
See how this word sounds in a real sentence.
Ask Vocabaura
Understand the word your way.
What Does It Mean Here?
Words can change meaning depending on context.
Use it yourself
Knowing “spring” starts when you use it. Pick a next step, all free.
Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.