Meaning & use
spring in your step
Last updated
Meanings
phrasesingular
A cheerful, energetic way of walking that shows you are happy or feeling good.
Grammar: Used as a countable noun phrase with 'a' or 'your': there was a spring in his step.
Patterns
- have a spring in your step
- with a spring in your step
- there is a spring in someone's step
After the good news, there was a real spring in her step.
He walked into the office with a spring in his step.
You can tell she's happy today — she has a spring in her step.
phrasesingularfigurative
A feeling of renewed confidence or cheerfulness that shows in how someone behaves.
Grammar: Often used figuratively after 'put' or 'lose': that put a spring in his step.
Patterns
- put a spring in someone's step
- lose the spring in your step
Passing the exam put a spring in his step for weeks.
Since the pay rise, she's had a spring in her step.
Losing the match took the spring out of their step.
Common combinations
- a spring in your step
- There's a spring in your step this morning.
- put a spring in someone's step
- The compliment really put a spring in her step.
- with a spring in his step
- He left the meeting with a spring in his step.
- lose the spring in your step
- After the long illness, he lost the spring in his step.
- a real spring in her step
- She had a real spring in her step after the holiday.
Synonyms and how they differ
- bounce
- Informal and means lively energy in movement; 'spring in your step' is a set phrase and sounds more natural when talking about mood.
- pep
- Means energy and liveliness in general, not specifically the way someone walks.
- cheerfulness
- Names the happy feeling itself rather than the energetic walk that shows it.
Opposites
Word family
- springy adjective
- Describes something that bounces back, like a springy floor or a springy walk.
Commonly confused: spring in your step or bounce in your step? spring in your step or spring?
spring in your step vs bounce in your step
This is not a standard idiom; English speakers say 'a spring in your step', not 'a bounce in your step'.
spring in your step vs spring
'Spring' alone can mean the season or a coiled metal object; the idiom needs the full phrase 'spring in your step'.
Practice
Which sentence uses the idiom correctly?
Choose one answer.
The idiom is a countable noun phrase, so it needs 'a': 'a spring in her step'. Option 0 misses the article, option 2 uses 'the' wrongly, and option 3 uses the wrong word form.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “spring in your step”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.