The Britannica Dictionary
mobile search
Home
Ask the Editor
Word of the Day
Quizzes
Core Vocabulary
Browse the Dictionary
×
Britannica Homepage
Ask the Editor
Word of the Day
Quizzes
Core Vocabulary
Browse the Dictionary
The Britannica Dictionary
sprain
1 ENTRIES FOUND:
sprain
(verb)
sprain
/
ˈ
spreɪn/
verb
sprains
;
sprained
;
spraining
sprain
/
ˈ
spreɪn/
verb
sprains
;
sprained
;
spraining
Britannica Dictionary definition of SPRAIN
[
+ object
]
:
to injure (a joint) by twisting it in a sudden and painful way
I fell and
sprained
[=
twisted
] my ankle/wrist.
a
sprained
ankle
[+] more examples
[-] hide examples
[+] Example sentences
[-] Hide examples
—
compare
strain
— sprain
noun
,
plural
sprains
[
count
]
My wrist isn't broken. It's just a bad
sprain
.
[+] more examples
[-] hide examples
[+] Example sentences
[-] Hide examples
ASK THE EDITOR
In the following example, why is "an" used before "FYI" and not "a"? Just an FYI, there is no school next Friday.
See the answer »
QUIZZES
Vocabulary Quiz
Test your word power
Take the Quiz »
Name That Thing
Take our visual quiz
Test Your Knowledge »
WORD OF THE DAY
blunt
:
having a thick edge or point
Learn More »