Thesaurus results for SPASMS

spasms

noun

plural of spasm

as in cramps

a painful sudden tightening of a muscle he suffers terribly from back spasms

Synonyms & Similar Words

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as in bursts

a sudden intense expression of strong feeling a spasm of love that he had never experienced before

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of spasms Sensitivity to noise, touch and emotional distress can set off muscle spasms, according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. — Andrea Flores, Los Angeles Times, 9 Oct. 2026 Witt dealt with back spasms and a knee sprain during the summer. — Kansas City Star, 29 Sep. 2026 At 8 months, the child was also diagnosed with infantile epileptic spasms syndrome, a severe form of epilepsy. — Inaya Folarin Iman, CBS News, 29 Sep. 2026 Seventeen safety incidents were logged, eight tied directly to the device, mostly skin irritation and muscle spasms, plus one fall with no injury. — New Atlas, 27 Sep. 2026 Tua Tagovailoa was slated to start the season and then started having oblique spasms days before the opener and also missed those two games. — Kyle Feldscher, CNN Money, 24 Sep. 2026 In 2022, she was diagnosed with the rare and progressive autoimmune and neurological disorder — which can cause muscle rigidity, mobility issues, painful spasms and shortness of breath. — Bailey Richards, PEOPLE, 20 Sep. 2026 Rockies third baseman Kyle Karros was a late scratch with back spasms. — ABC News, 20 Sep. 2026 In 2022, Dion was diagnosed with stiff-person syndrome, a rare, debilitating progressive neurological disorder that causes muscle rigidity and spasms so violent Dion broke ribs. — Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 15 Sep. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for spasms

Noun

There is no vaccine for the illness, which can cause stomach cramps and diarrhea.

— Don Sweeney, Sacbee.com, 12 Oct. 2026
An April report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention tracked nearly 17,000 Shigella samples, which causes Shigellosis, which and can bring on diarrhea, fever and abdominal cramps, collected between 2011 and 2023.

— Deirdre Bardolf, FOXNews.com, 10 Oct. 2026

Definition of cramps

Noun

Cue the lovelorn weeping in the rain set to composer Roger Goula’s supple string score, and before us, a sweeping love epic bursts alive with real pain.

— Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 13 Oct. 2026
The machine generated about a dozen or so graphs, marked by human figures and bursts of colors that denoted energy fields, broken down by organ—and even tooth.

— Jessica Sulima, Condé Nast Traveler, 10 Oct. 2026

Definition of bursts

Noun

The explosions ruptured the Nord Stream 1 pipeline, which was Russia's main natural gas supply route to Germany until Moscow cut off supplies in August 2022.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 15 Oct. 2026
Russia’s ballistic missiles can reach Kyiv in just minutes, leaving little time to respond; in some recent attacks, air raid sirens sounded at the same time as the first explosions.

— Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of explosions

Noun

The cause of their displeasure has to do with scenes woven throughout that illustrate how Baldwin got his reputation for angry outbursts – confrontations with paparazzi through the years, for instance.

— Matthew Carey, Deadline, 12 Oct. 2026
As a result, military children and teenagers may experience social withdrawal, angry outbursts and mental health problems, including depression and anxiety.

— Nikki R Wooten, The Conversation, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of outbursts

Noun

Xu Fu and Ma Junsheng also play surrogate dads to Seif, whose increasingly violent eruptions threaten to change the course of his life more than once.

— Beatrice Loayza, Variety, 13 Oct. 2026
As of last month, 52 additional fountain eruptions had occurred, the most violent of which spewed lava over 400 meters into the air.

— John Timmer, ArsTechnica, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of eruptions

Noun

Dabrowski sees its appeal as an aesthetic rather than simply a trend, pointing to the scarves, flashes of colors, especially red, and distinctly Parisian styling.

— Alex Badia, Footwear News, 12 Oct. 2026
This team shows some really good flashes of doing a lot of good things.

— Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 11 Oct. 2026

Definition of flashes

Noun

South winds will increase to around 15–20 mph, with occasional higher gusts.

— Michael Autovino, CBS News, 13 Oct. 2026
Between Thursday afternoon and Friday afternoon, large swaths of Southern California will see sustained winds of 20 to 40 mph and gusts from 40 to 60 mph, according to Ryan Kittell, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Oxnard.

— Terry Castleman, Los Angeles Times, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of gusts

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spasmodic

spasms

spastic

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“Spasms.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spasms. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of spasms

noun

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