spring up

Meanings

1. 1verbintransitive

   To appear or develop quickly and suddenly.

   Grammar: No object: things spring up by themselves. It is often used for buildings, businesses, plants, or problems.

   Patterns

   • spring up in a place
   • spring up around something
   • spring up overnight

   New coffee shops have sprung up all along the street.

   Weeds spring up as soon as the rain comes.

   Doubts sprang up in her mind during the meeting.

2. 2verbintransitive

   To jump or move upward suddenly.

   Grammar: No object; it describes a quick upward movement of a person or animal, often followed by from or out of.

   Patterns

   • spring up from something
   • spring up out of something
   • spring up and run

   The cat sprang up from the chair when it heard the door.

   He sprang up out of bed when the alarm rang.

Word forms

Common combinations

spring up overnight

Tents sprang up overnight in the empty field.

spring up everywhere

Small online shops have sprung up everywhere.

new buildings spring up

New buildings are springing up near the station.

problems spring up

Problems spring up when no one checks the work.

spring up from the ground

Mushrooms sprang up from the wet ground.

Synonyms and how they differ

appear

A general word for coming into sight; spring up adds the idea of speed and often of many things at once.

emerge

More formal and slower; spring up feels sudden and lively.

sprout

Used mostly for plants; spring up works for plants, buildings, and ideas.

Opposites

Word family

spring verb

To jump suddenly or move quickly upward.

spring noun

A season, a coil of metal, or a water source.

springy adjective

Able to bend and return to shape.

sprung adjective

Fitted with springs, or having suddenly appeared.

Commonly confused: spring up or spring on?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “spring up”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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