- to rise, leap, move, or act suddenly and swiftly, as by a sudden dart or thrust forward or outward, or being suddenly released from a coiled or constrained position: to spring into the air; a tiger about to spring.
- to be released from a constrained position, as by resilient or elastic force or from the action of a spring: A trap springs. The door sprang open and in he walked.
- to issue forth suddenly, as water, blood, sparks, fire, etc. (often followed by forth, out, or up): Blood sprang from the wound.
- to come into being, rise, or arise within a short time (usually followed by up): Industries sprang up in the suburbs.
- to come into being by growth, as from a seed or germ, bulb, root, etc.; grow, as plants.
- to proceed or originate from a specific source or cause.
- to have as one's birth or lineage; be descended, as from a person, family, stock, etc.; come from: to spring from ancient aristocracy.
- to rise or extend upward, as a spire.
- to take an upward course or curve from a point of support, as an arch.
- to come or appear suddenly, as if at a bound: An objection sprang to mind.
- to start or rise from cover, as a pheasant, woodcock, or the like.
- to become bent or warped, as boards.
- to shift or work loose, as parts of a mechanism, structure, etc.: The board sprang from the fence during the storm.
- to explode, as a mine.
- to begin to appear, as day, light, etc.; dawn.
- to cause to spring.
- to cause to fly back, move, or act, as by resiliency, elastic force, a spring, etc.: to spring a lock.
- to cause to shift out of place, work loose, warp, split, or crack: Moisture sprang the board from the fence.
- to split or crack: The ship sprang its keel on a rock.
- to develop by or as by splitting or cracking: The boat sprang a leak.
- to bend by force, or force in by bending, as a resilient slat or bar.
- to stretch or bend (a spring or other resilient device) beyond its elastic tolerance: This clip has been sprung.
- to bring out, disclose, produce, make, etc., suddenly: to spring a joke.
- to leap over.
- to secure the release of (someone) from confinement, as of jail, military service, or the like.
- to move (a vessel) into or out of a berth by pulling on the offshore end of a warp made fast to the pier.
- to explode (a mine).
- a leap, jump, or bound.
- a sudden movement caused by the release of something elastic.
- an elastic or bouncing quality: There is a spring in his walk.
- elasticity or resilience: This board has spring in it.
- a structural defect or injury caused by a warp, crack, etc.
- an issue of water from the earth, taking the form, on the surface, of a small stream or standing as a pool or small lake.
- the place of such an issue: mineral springs.
- a source or fountainhead of something: a spring of inspiration.
- an elastic contrivance or body, as a strip or wire of steel coiled spirally, that recovers its shape after being compressed, bent, or stretched.
- the season between winter and summer: in the Northern Hemisphere from the vernal equinox to the summer solstice; in the Southern Hemisphere from the autumnal equinox to the winter solstice.
- (in temperate zones) the season of the year following winter and characterized by the budding of trees, growth of plants, the onset of warmer weather, etc.
- the first stage and freshest period: the spring of life.
- a period of growth, recovery, or regeneration (usually used in combination): signs of an economic spring.
- usually initial capital letter.
- a popular movement calling for liberal reforms and opposing authoritarian restrictions on freedom and information access (usually used in combination): the brief Seoul Spring of 1979–80; the Academic Spring’s goal of free access to published research.
- a period of liberalization or democratization.
- Nautical.
- warp (def. 16).
- a line from the quarter of a vessel to an anchor on the bottom, used to hold the vessel at its mooring, broadside to the current.
- Also called springing. Architecture.
- the point at which an arch or dome rises from its support.
- the rise or the angle of the rise of an arch.
- the dawn, as of day, light, etc.
- of, pertaining to, characteristic of, or suitable for the season of spring: spring flowers.
- resting on or containing mechanical springs.
- to pay for; treat someone to.
- to move or cause to move suddenly upwards or forwards in a single motion
- to release or be released from a forced position by elastic force
- to leap or jump over
- to come, issue, or arise suddenly
- (of a part of a mechanism, etc) to jump out of place
- to make (wood, etc) warped or split or (of wood, etc) to become warped or split
- to happen or cause to happen unexpectedly
- to develop or originate
- to be descended
- to come into being or appear suddenly
- (of a gun dog) to rouse (game) from cover
- (of game or quarry) to start or rise suddenly from cover
- to appear to have a strong upward movement
- to explode (a mine) or (of a mine) to explode
- to provide with a spring or springs
- to arrange the escape of (someone) from prison
- (of daylight or dawn) to begin to appear
- the act or an instance of springing
- a leap, jump, or bound
- the quality of resilience; elasticity
- (as modifier)
- the act or an instance of moving rapidly back from a position of tension
- a natural outflow of ground water, as forming the source of a stream
- (as modifier)
- a device, such as a coil or strip of steel, that stores potential energy when it is compressed, stretched, or bent and releases it when the restraining force is removed
- (as modifier)
- a structural defect such as a warp or bend
- the season of the year between winter and summer, astronomically from the March equinox to the June solstice in the N hemisphere and from the September equinox to the December solstice in the S hemisphere
- (as modifier)
- the earliest or freshest time of something
- a source or origin
- one of a set of strips of rubber, steel, etc, running down the inside of the handle of a cricket bat, hockey stick, etc
- a mooring line, usually one of a pair that cross amidships
- a flock of teal
- architect another name for springing
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