■ verb ( past sprang or chiefly N. Amer. sprung ; past participle sprung )
1》 move suddenly or rapidly upwards or forwards.
↘cause (a game bird) to rise from cover.
2》 move suddenly by or as if by the action of a ~.
3》 operate or cause to operate by means of a ~ mechanism.
4》 ( ~ from ) originate or appear from.
↘( ~ up ) suddenly develop or appear.
↘( ~ something on ) present something suddenly or unexpectedly to.
5》 informal bring about the escape or release of (a prisoner).
6》 [usu. as adjective sprung ] provide (a vehicle or item of furniture) with ~s.
7》 (of wood) become warped or split.
8》 ( ~ for ) N. Amer. informal pay for.
■ noun
1》 the season after winter and before summer, in which vegetation begins to appear.
↘ Astronomy the period from the vernal equinox to the summer solstice.
2》 an elastic device, typically a helical metal coil, that can be pressed or pulled but returns to its former shape when released.
↘elastic quality.
3》 a sudden jump upwards or forwards.
4》 a place where water wells up from an underground source.
5》 an upward curvature of a ship's deck planking from the horizontal.
↘a split in a wooden plank or spar under strain.
6》 Nautical a hawser laid out from a ship's bow or stern and secured to a fixed point in order to prevent movement or assist manoeuvring.
Phrases
~ a leak (of a boat or container) develop a leak.
Derivatives
~less adjective
~let noun ( literary ).
~like adjective
Origin
OE ~ (n.), ~an (v.), of Gmc origin.