sprint

1 of 3

verb

ˈsprint 

sprinted; sprinting; sprints

intransitive verb

: to run or go at top speed especially for a short distance

sprinter noun

sprint

2 of 3

noun (1)

1

: the act or an instance of sprinting

2

a

: dash sense 3b

b

: a burst of speed

sprinter

3 of 3

noun (2)

sprint·​er

-tə(r)

plural -s

: one that sprints

especially : one that competes in sprint races

a champion sprinter

Synonyms of sprint

Verb

• jog
• trot
• run
• race
• gallop
• speed

Examples of sprint in a Sentence

Verb

The bicycle racers sprinted for the finish line.

he sprinted off to class so as to avoid being late

Noun (1)

He made a sprint for the finish line.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

The camera followed Maiava and caught USC sports information director Katie Ryan sprinting to reach him. — Ryan Kartje, Los Angeles Times, 5 Oct. 2026

Walker split a hole created by Trey Smith and Jaylon Moore on the right side of the line, never broke stride and sprinted 76 yards down the right side to set up the Chiefs’ go-ahead touchdown pass to Thornton in the fourth quarter. — Sam McDowell, Kansas City Star, 4 Oct. 2026

Noun

Breaking work into small pieces and running it through scrums and sprints was how teams offset the sheer cost of human coding hours. — Tim Lee, Forbes.com, 6 Oct. 2026

Before the fans left, coach Fran Brown had his team back on the field running sprints as punishment for the scare. — Joe Arruda, Hartford Courant, 3 Oct. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English (Scots) sprenten to spring, leap, of Scandinavian origin; akin to Swedish dialect sprinta to jump, hop; akin to Old High German sprinzan to jump up

First Known Use

Verb

1847, in the meaning defined above

Noun (1)

1836, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing sprint

• sprint car
• wind sprint

Rhymes for sprint

• clint
• dint
• glint
• hint
• lint
• mint
• print
• quint
• quinte
• splint
• squint
• stint

Kids Definition

sprint

1 of 2 verb

ˈsprint 

: to run at top speed especially for a short distance

sprinter noun

sprint

2 of 2 noun

1

: a short run at top speed

2

: a race over a short distance