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Definition of spring noun from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

spring

noun
 
 
/sprɪŋ/
 
/sprɪŋ/
Idioms
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    season

  1.  
     [uncountable, countable] the season between winter and summer when plants begin to grow
    • The following spring, the three artists travelled to California.
    • in (the) spring flowers that bloom in (the) spring
    • The birds arrive in late spring and leave again in early autumn.
    • He was born in the spring of 1944.
    • Spring came early that year.
    • There's a feeling of spring in the air today.
    • spring flowers
    Extra Examples
    • The students spend the whole spring term on teaching practice.
    • a delicious recipe for spring lamb
    • a perfect spring day
    • the party's spring conference
    • to plant spring bulbs
    Topics Timea1
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • last
    • this past
    • the following
    • …
    spring + noun
    • weather
    • sun
    • sunlight
    • …
    See full entry
    2.

    water

  2.  
     [countable] a place where water comes naturally to the surface from under the ground
    • a mountain spring
    • mineral/thermal springs
    • The area is noted for its hot springs and geysers.
    • deliciously cool spring water
    Topics Geographyb2
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • hot
    • thermal
    • bubbling
    • …
    spring + verb
    • bubble
    spring + noun
    • water
    See full entry
    3.

    wire

  3. [countable] a twisted piece of wire that can be pushed, pressed or pulled but which always returns to its original shape or position afterwards
    • bed springs
    • The springs in the sofa have gone (= they no longer return to their original position).
    • She's full of energy, like a coiled spring.
    see also box spring
    Extra Examples
    • Most of the springs have gone in the old sofa.
    • The children broke some springs jumping on the bed.
    • a box-spring mattress
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • coiled
    • box
    verb + spring
    • break
    spring + verb
    • break
    • go
    See full entry
  4. [uncountable] the ability of a spring to return to its original position
    • The mattress has lost its spring.
    5.

    cheerful quality

  5. [uncountable, singular] a cheerful, lively quality
    • She walked along with a spring in her step.
    6.

    sudden jump

  6. [countable] a quick sudden jump upwards or forwards
    • With a spring, the cat leapt on to the table.
    7. Word OriginOld English spring (noun), springan (verb), of Germanic origin; related to Dutch and German springen. Early use in the senses ‘head of a well’ and ‘rush out in a stream’ gave rise to the figurative use ‘originate’.
Idioms
full of the joys of spring
  1. very cheerful
See spring in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee spring in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic English
Check pronunciation: spring

Nearby words

trait
noun
 
 
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