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cramp
1[ kramp ]
noun
- Often cramps.
- a sudden, involuntary, spasmodic contraction of a muscle or group of muscles, especially of the extremities, sometimes with severe pain.
- a piercing pain in the abdomen.
- an intermittent, painful contraction of structures of a wall containing involuntary muscle, as in biliary colic or in the uterine contractions of menstruation or of labor.
verb (used with object)
- to affect with or as if with a cramp.
cramp
2[ kramp ]
noun
- a portable frame or tool with a movable part that can be screwed up to hold things together; clamp.
- anything that confines or restrains.
- a cramped state or part.
verb (used with object)
- to fasten or hold with a cramp.
- to turn (the front wheels of a motor vehicle) by means of the steering gear; steer.
adjective
cramp
1/ æ /
noun
- a painful involuntary contraction of a muscle, typically caused by overexertion, heat, or chill
- temporary partial paralysis of a muscle group
writer's cramp
- usually plural in the US and Canada severe abdominal pain
verb
- tr to affect with or as if with a cramp
cramp
2/ æ /
noun
- Also calledcramp iron a strip of metal with its ends bent at right angles, used to bind masonry
- a device for holding pieces of wood while they are glued; clamp
- something that confines or restricts
- a confined state or position
verb
- to secure or hold with a cramp
- to confine, hamper, or restrict
- cramp someone's style informal.to prevent a person from using his abilities or acting freely and confidently
Other Word Forms
- iԲ· adverb
Word History and Origins
Origin of cramp1
Word History and Origins
Origin of cramp1
Origin of cramp2
Idioms and Phrases
- cramp one's style, Informal. to prevent one from showing one's best abilities.
Example Sentences
Henley, who was dealing with cramps from his hands being cuffed in front of him, told the judge “I’m stressed out.”
"I was still having regular periods and I had some quite bad cramping so I thought, 'something doesn't feel right'."
The Dodgers’ relievers helped the team earn a 1-0 win over the Rangers Sunday after Tyler Glasnow was pulled in the fifth inning because of cramps.
Among the many injury problems that have plagued his big-league career, occasional bouts of cramping have been the most benign.
Dodger Stadium is built into the side of a hill, which cramps space for existing concession stands and kitchens and complicates any plans to widen the concourses.
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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