spring

verb springs · springing · sprang · sprung · spring

1. intransitive To move or burst forth. The boat sprang a leak and began to sink.
2. intransitive To appear. ...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.
3. intransitive To grow, to sprout. 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.
4. UK, dialectal, intransitive To mature.
5. figuratively, intransitive To arise, to come into existence.

   Similar: arise, form, take shape

6. figuratively, intransitive, sometimes To enliven. He hit the gas and the car sprang to life.
7. figuratively, intransitive, usually, with cardinal adverbs To move with great speed and energy. Deer spring with their hind legs, using their front hooves to steady themselves.

   Similar: bound, jump, leap

8. intransitive, usually, with from To be born, descend, or originate from He sprang from peasant stock.
9. intransitive, obsolete To rise in social position or military rank, to be promoted.
10. transitive To cause to spring (all senses).
11. transitive, of mechanisms To cause to work or open by sudden application of pressure. He sprang the trap.
12. transitive To leap over. I sprang the fence, and was soon in the village street.
13. obsolete, of horses To breed with, to impregnate. ...[they] sought the fairest stoned horses to spring their mares...
14. obsolete, transitive To wet, to moisten.
15. intransitive, usually, with "apart" or "open" To burst into pieces, to explode, to shatter. On the 22nd the mines sprang, and took very good effect.
16. obsolete To go off. The whole contraption appears liable to spring apart at any moment.
17. ambitransitive, perfective, usually To crack. The Edward sprang hir foremast.
18. 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.
19. Australia, slang To catch in an illegal act or compromising position. He figured that nobody would ever spring him, but he figured wrong.
20. obsolete To begin.
21. obsolete, slang To put bad money into circulation.
22. To tell, to share. Sorry to spring it on you like this but I've been offered another job.
23. US, slang, transitive To free from imprisonment, especially by facilitating an illegal escape. His lieutenants hired a team of miners to help spring him.

    Similar: free, let out, release, spring loose, jailbreak

24. intransitive, rare, slang To be free of imprisonment, especially by illegal escape.
25. To secure a person's release from custody; to free or bail out of jail. The Big Man, of course, had had an alibi as solid as Fort Knox. He had been held and questioned, but was quickly sprung by the best lawyer in Harlem.
26. transitive, of arches To build, to form the initial curve of. They sprung an arch over the lintel.
27. intransitive, of arches, with "from" To extend, to curve. The arches spring from the front posts.
28. transitive To turn a vessel using a spring attached to its anchor cable.
29. transitive To pay or spend a certain sum, to yield. He wouldn't spring a nickel for a bag of peanuts.
30. intransitive, obsolete, slang To raise an offered price.
31. US, alternative, dialectal, transitive Alternative form of sprain
32. US, alternative, dialectal, transitive Alternative form of strain
33. intransitive, obsolete To act as a spring: to strongly rebound.
34. rare, transitive To equip with springs, especially (of vehicles) to equip with a suspension.
35. figuratively, obsolete, rare to inspire, to motivate.
36. ambitransitive To deform owing to excessive pressure, to become warped; to intentionally deform in order to position and then straighten in place. Don't drive it in too hard, as it will ‘spring’ the plane-iron, and make it concave.
37. UK, dialectal, intransitive, of cows To swell with milk or pregnancy. “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. archaic, transitive, of rattles To sound, to play. 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. of animals To find or get enough food during springtime.

noun springs

1. countable An act of springing: a leap, a jump. 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. countable, uncountable 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. Spring is the time of the year most species reproduce.

   Similar: springtime

3. countable, uncountable 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. 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.

   Similar: springtime

4. countable, uncountable The three months of March, April, and May in the Northern Hemisphere and September, October, and November in the Southern Hemisphere. I spent my spring holidays in Morocco.

   Similar: springtime

5. figuratively, uncountable The time of something's growth; the early stages of some process. ...and it came to passe about the spring of the day, that Samuel called Saul to the top of the house...
6. countable, figuratively, uncountable A period of political liberalization and democratization. Arab Spring
7. countable 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.
8. countable, uncountable A spray or body of water springing from the ground. This beer was brewed with pure spring water.

   Similar: fount, source

9. countable, obsolete, uncountable The rising of the sea at high tide.
10. abbreviation, countable, ellipsis, uncountable Ellipsis of spring tide, the especially high tide shortly after full and new moons.

    Opposite: neap tide

11. countable, uncountable 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. We jumped so hard the bed springs broke.
12. countable, uncountable A line from a vessel's end or side to its anchor cable used to diminish or control its movement. He had warped round with the springs on his cable, and had recommenced his fire upon the Aurora.
13. countable, uncountable 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. You should put a couple of springs onto the jetty to stop the boat moving so much.
14. countable, figuratively, uncountable A race, a lineage.
15. countable, figuratively, uncountable A youth.
16. countable, uncountable A shoot, a young tree.
17. countable, uncountable A grove of trees; a forest.
18. collective, countable, uncountable A group of teal. It is sometimes the practice of the fowler to delay his performances a few days when there are only a small spring of teal; this delay frequently proves highly judicious, for when undisturbed they assemble at decoys in great numbers.
19. countable, slang An erection of the penis.
20. countable, obsolete A crack which has sprung up in a mast, spar, or (rare) a plank or seam. A spar is said to be sprung, when it is cracked or split,... and the crack is called a spring.
21. countable, uncountable Elasticity: the property of a body springing back to its original form after compression, stretching, etc. the spring of a bow

    Similar: bounce, bounciness, elasticity, resilience, springiness

22. countable, uncountable Elastic energy, power, or force. Heav'ns what a spring was in his Arm, to throw: How high he held his Shield, and rose at ev'ry blow!
23. countable The source from which an action or supply of something springs. As wel the singers as the players on instruments shall bee there: all my springs are in thee.

    Similar: impetus, impulse

24. countable, uncountable A cause, a motive, etc. Our Author ſhuns by vulgar Springs to move / The Hero's Glory, or the Virgin's Love; […]
25. countable, obsolete, uncountable A lively piece of music. 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

Similar: beginning

verb springs · springing · springed

1. intransitive To spend the springtime somewhere. 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;

proper noun Springs

1. countable A surname.
2. countable, uncountable A census-designated place in Harris County, Texas, United States.
3. alternative, countable, uncountable Alternative form of spring, the season of warmth and new vegetation following winter. 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.