cramp

CEFRB2

/kɹæmp/

noun · verb

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    noun

    A sudden painful tightening of a muscle.

  2. 02

    verb

    To limit someone or something too much.

Examples

  • I got a cramp in my leg while swimming.

  • I got a leg cramp after using the leg press.

At a glance

Sits at B2 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
2
Citations
5
Synonyms
3

Deep Dive

noun

Extra meanings

  1. A clamp for carpentry or masonry.

  2. That which confines or contracts.

  3. A painful contraction of a muscle which cannot be controlled; (sometimes) a similar pain even without noticeable contraction.

More examples

In context

  • He retired hurt at 31 due to a leg cramp.

  • The collar of the tunic scratched my neck, the steel helmet made my head ache, and the puttees cramped my leg muscles.

  • August 1534, Margaret Roper (or Thomas More in her name), letter to Alice Alington the cramp also that divers nights gripeth him in his legs.

Synonyms

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

A sudden muscle blank in his leg forced the runner to stop.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

noun

From Middle English crampe, from Old French crampe (“cramp”), from Frankish *krampa (“cramp”), from Proto-West Germanic *krampu, from Proto-Germanic *krampō (“cramp, clasp”). Distant relative of English crop.