Meaning & use
spring
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Meanings
nouncountable or uncountable
The season after winter when the weather warms and plants start to grow.
Grammar: Usually without a plural: in spring, last spring. Also used as a modifier: spring flowers.
Patterns
- in spring
- in the spring
The cherry trees bloom in spring.
Last spring we repainted the fence.
Spring arrived early this year.
nouncountable
A coil of metal that goes back to its shape after being pressed or pulled.
Grammar: Countable: a spring, the springs of a bed.
Patterns
- the spring in something
A spring inside the pen pushes the tip out.
The mattress has broken springs.
The toy sprang apart when the spring snapped.
nouncountable
A place where water rises naturally out of the ground.
Grammar: Countable: a hot spring, a mountain spring.
Patterns
- a spring in somewhere
The village gets its water from a spring in the hills.
We soaked in a hot spring after skiing.
A clear spring ran beside the path.
verbintransitive
To move suddenly and quickly in a jump or burst.
Grammar: No object; usually followed by a direction word: spring up, spring open.
Patterns
- spring up
- spring at someone
- spring to something
The cat sprang onto the counter.
He sprang to his feet when the bell rang.
The lid sprang open when I pressed the button.
verbintransitive
To appear or begin suddenly, or to come from a particular source.
Grammar: Often followed by up or from: new shops sprang up.
Patterns
- spring up
- spring from something
New cafes sprang up all along the river.
The idea sprang from a casual chat.
Rumors sprang up after his sudden departure.
verbtransitiveinformal
To surprise someone by telling or showing them something unexpected.
Grammar: Takes an object plus on: spring a surprise on someone.
Patterns
- spring something on someone
- spring a leak
She sprang the news on us at dinner.
The boat sprang a leak.
The boss sprang a test on the team.
Word forms
| plural | springs |
|---|---|
| third person singular | springs |
| past tense | sprang |
| past participle | sprung |
| -ing form | springing |
Common combinations
- early spring
- Snowdrops appear in early spring.
- spring to mind
- No good answer sprang to mind.
- spring a leak
- The roof sprang a leak during the storm.
- spring into action
- The crew sprang into action when the alarm rang.
- hot spring
- We visited a hot spring in Iceland.
- spring cleaning
- Every March she does her spring cleaning.
Synonyms and how they differ
- leap
- Leap suggests a longer, higher jump, while spring emphasizes quickness and energy at the start of the move.
- bound
- Bound suggests a series of large jumps, whereas spring is usually a single sudden motion.
- coil
- Coil is any wound shape, and a spring is a coil designed to push back.
Opposites
Word family
- springy adjective
- able to bounce back easily
- springtime noun
- the season of spring
- springboard noun
- a board for jumping, or a starting point for something
- offspring noun
- a person's or animal's child or young
Commonly confused: spring or sprang/sprung?
spring vs sprang/sprung
Sprang is the past tense (it sprang open) and sprung is the past participle (it has sprung open). Learners often swap them.
Practice
The door suddenly ___ open when the wind hit it.
Choose one answer.
Sprang is the simple past tense. Sprung needs a helper such as had or has, and springs or spring would be the wrong tense.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “spring”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.