spurt

1 of 4

verb (1)

spurted; spurting; spurts

intransitive verb

: to gush forth : spout

transitive verb

: to expel in a stream or jet : squirt
the faucet spurts water

spurt

2 of 4

noun (1)

: a sudden gush : jet

spurt

3 of 4

noun (2)

1
: a short period of time : moment
2
a
: a sudden brief burst of effort, activity, or development
a spurt of work
a growth spurt
b
: a sharp or sudden increase in business activity

spurt

4 of 4

verb (2)

spurted; spurting; spurts

intransitive verb

: to make a spurt

Examples of spurt in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
Then in July 2023, lava spurted from a half-mile-long crack at a site named Litli-Hrutur just northeast of the two earlier eruptions. Maya Wei-Haas, Smithsonian Magazine, 21 Feb. 2024 Unselfish basketball keyed that spurt with three assists on the four baskets. Jacob Steinberg, Baltimore Sun, 19 Jan. 2024 Akins ended that spurt with a 3-pointer to give the Spartans back the lead, but Mag’s layup with 14:13 to go seized it right back. Detroit Free Press, 14 Jan. 2024 Most forecasters still expect EV sales to return to the fast lane and spurt on to around 9 million by 2030. Neil Winton, Forbes, 14 Feb. 2024 In the matter of death, look and learn as one astronaut stabs another in the neck with a screwdriver; blood, rather than spurting or flowing, emerges in little red bubbles—life just fizzing away. Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, 19 Jan. 2024 The instant the cap was off, a geyser of pale goo spurted out. Paul McHugh, Sacramento Bee, 31 Jan. 2024 In that case, the ongoing seismic activity could stop abruptly or peak in a phreatic eruption—the volcano would spurt out hot liquids, gases and rock fragments instead of lava. Alessio Perrone, Scientific American, 4 Dec. 2023 There are different kinds as well, like someone who was aroused by water spurting out of a faucet, another aroused by wet clothes. Gavin J Blair, The Hollywood Reporter, 28 Oct. 2023
Noun
Aim to establish an ongoing dialogue in short spurts rather than one long, formal conversation. Jan Hoffman, New York Times, 11 Mar. 2024 Still, housing economists caution this spurt of smaller new homes makes up a sliver of the overall housing market. Abha Bhattarai, Washington Post, 10 Mar. 2024 The growth occurred in uneven spurts, indicating structural weaknesses in the economy and spurring action from the government going into 2024. Peter Aitken, Fox News, 9 Mar. 2024 There was an occasional weeklong round of fighting in Gaza or a spurt of lone wolf attacks in Jerusalem and the West Bank, but the conventional wisdom was that the Palestinians were too downtrodden and fractured to muster anything more. Gregg Carlstrom, Foreign Affairs, 6 Mar. 2024 Terry Rozier hit two threes during the Heat’s third quarter spurt, then made the two big plays late (the layup and assist on Robinson’s three). Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 6 Mar. 2024 The onslaught continued in quarter two as Warren finished the half on a 15-2 spurt for a 45-17 lead. Lewis Bagley, The Indianapolis Star, 1 Feb. 2024 Three years later the league, which hadn’t grown in a dozen years, began a spurt that added five teams in eight years, expanding to nontraditional markets in San José, Tampa, Miami, Anaheim and Nashville. Kevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times, 27 Feb. 2024 Penn State: The Nittany Lions were able to find their rhythm in spurts and finally sustained it over the final 10 minutes. Travis Johnson, USA TODAY, 22 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'spurt.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb (1)

perhaps akin to Middle High German spürzen to spit, Old English -sprūtan to sprout — more at sprout

Noun (2)

origin unknown

First Known Use

Verb (1)

1570, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Noun (1)

1644, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

circa 1591, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb (2)

1664, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of spurt was in 1570

Dictionary Entries Near spurt

Cite this Entry

“Spurt.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/spurt. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

spurt

1 of 4 verb
1
: to pour out suddenly : spout
2

spurt

2 of 4 noun
: a sudden pouring out : jet

spurt

3 of 4 noun
1
: a short period of time : moment
2
: a brief burst of effort, activity, or development
a spurt of work
a growth spurt

spurt

4 of 4 verb
: to make a spurt

More from Merriam-Webster on spurt

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