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spring

There's nothing like sitting on a sharp tack to make you spring out of your chair. The verb spring means to leap or bounce up suddenly.

When you spring, you jump abruptly. In fact, your body acts like another definition of spring, "a coil of metal that bounces back when pushed." The Old English springan, "to leap, burst forth, or fly up," is the root of spring, and most uses of the word are clearly connected to that origin. Even when an idea springs to mind, or you spring bad news on someone, the thoughts seem to leap forward.

PRIMARY MEANINGS OF: spring

1
 vn
move forward by leaps and bounds
a light, self-propelled movement upwards or forwards
2
 v
produce or disclose suddenly or unexpectedly
3
 n
a natural flow of ground water
4
 n
the season of growth
FULL DEFINITIONS OF: spring
1

v move forward by leaps and bounds

Synonyms:
bound, jump, leap
Types:
show 19 types...
hide 19 types...
pronk
jump straight up
bounce, bound, rebound, recoil, resile, reverberate, ricochet, take a hop
spring back; spring away from an impact
burst
move suddenly, energetically, or violently
bounce
leap suddenly
capriole
perform a capriole, of horses in dressage
galumph
move around heavily and clumsily
ski jump
jump on skis
saltate
leap or skip, often in dancing
vault
bound vigorously
leapfrog
jump across
overleap, vault
jump across or leap over (an obstacle)
curvet
perform a leap where both hind legs come off the ground, of a horse
hop, hop-skip, skip
jump lightly
caper
jump about playfully
hop
make a jump forward or upward
kick, kick back, recoil
spring back, as from a forceful thrust
bound off, skip
bound off one point after another
carom
rebound after hitting
hurdle
jump a hurdle
Type of:
move
move so as to change position, perform a nontranslational motion

v spring back; spring away from an impact

Synonyms:
bounce, bound, rebound, recoil, resile, reverberate, ricochet, take a hop
Types:
kick, kick back, recoil
spring back, as from a forceful thrust
bound off, skip
bound off one point after another
carom
rebound after hitting
Type of:
bound, jump, leap
move forward by leaps and bounds

n a light, self-propelled movement upwards or forwards

Synonyms:
bounce, bound, leap, leaping, saltation
Types:
caper, capriole
a playful leap or hop
pounce
the act of pouncing
Type of:
jump, jumping
the act of jumping; propelling yourself off the ground

n the elasticity of something that can be stretched and returns to its original length

Synonyms:
give, springiness
Type of:
elasticity, snap
the tendency of a body to return to its original shape after it has been stretched or compressed

n a metal elastic device that returns to its shape or position when pushed or pulled or pressed

“the spring was broken”
Types:
show 7 types...
hide 7 types...
bedspring
(usually plural) one of the springs holding up the mattress of a bed
coil spring, volute spring
a spring in the shape of a coil
leaf spring
long narrow spring consisting of several layers of metal springs bracketed together
mainspring
the most important spring in a mechanical device (especially a clock or watch); as it uncoils it drives the mechanism
spiral spring
a spring that is wound like a spiral
box spring
a coiled bedspring in a frame that is covered with cloth
hairspring
a fine spiral spring that regulates the movement of the balance wheel in a timepiece
Type of:
elastic device
any flexible device that will return to its original shape when stretched
2

v produce or disclose suddenly or unexpectedly

“He sprang these news on me just as I was leaving”
Type of:
break, bring out, disclose, discover, divulge, expose, give away, let on, let out, reveal, unwrap
make known to the public information that was previously known only to a few people or that was meant to be kept a secret

v develop suddenly

“The tire sprang a leak”
Type of:
acquire, develop, get, grow, produce
come to have or undergo a change of (physical features and attributes)

v develop into a distinctive entity

Synonyms:
form, take form, take shape
Types:
regenerate
be formed or shaped anew
Type of:
become
come into existence
3

n a natural flow of ground water

Synonyms:
fountain, natural spring, outflow, outpouring
Examples:
Old Faithful
a geyser in Yellowstone National Park that erupts for about 4 minutes about every 65 minutes
Types:
Fountain of Youth
a fountain described in folk tales as able to make people young again
geyser
a spring that discharges hot water and steam
hot spring, thermal spring
a natural spring of water at a temperature of 70 F or above
Type of:
formation, geological formation
(geology) the geological features of the earth

n a point at which water issues forth

Type of:
beginning, origin, root, rootage, source
the place where something begins, where it springs into being
4

n the season of growth

“the emerging buds were a sure sign of spring”
“he will hold office until the spring of next year”
Synonyms:
springtime
Type of:
season, time of year
one of the natural periods into which the year is divided by the equinoxes and solstices or atmospheric conditions
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