English Meaning & Definitions
A tool or device, typically made of metal, used for holding or fastening two things together securely; a clamp.
- “Use a wooden cramp to hold the glued pieces of furniture together while they dry.”
A painful, involuntary contraction of a muscle or muscles, typically caused by fatigue or strain.
- “He had to stop swimming because he suddenly got a severe cramp in his calf.”
- “Eating bananas can help prevent muscle cramps due to their high potassium content.”
Restrict or severely inhibit the development, activity, or free movement of someone or something.
- “Tight shoes can cramp your style and cause foot pain.”
- “The lack of funding will cramp our research plans for the year.”
English Synonyms & Near Equivalents
Comprehensive Thesaurus Breakdown
Compare formal, informal, literary synonyms and register nuances for “cramp”.
Derived from Middle English 'crampe', from Middle Dutch or Middle Low German 'krampe' (meaning a clamp, hook, or muscle spasm), related to Old English 'crampian' (to curve or contract). The sense likely evolved from the idea of the body drawing together tightly or being constricted like a metal clamp.
Think of a metal 'clamp' squeezing tightly, just like a painful muscle 'cramp' squeezing your leg.
Frequently Asked Questions About “cramp”
1. What is the meaning of “cramp” in English?
In English, cramp (noun) is defined as: “A tool or device, typically made of metal, used for holding or fastening two things together securely; a clamp.”.
2. How do you use “cramp” in a sentence?
“Use a wooden cramp to hold the glued pieces of furniture together while they dry.”
3. What are English synonyms of “cramp”?
4. What is the etymology and word origin of “cramp”?
Derived from Middle English 'crampe', from Middle Dutch or Middle Low German 'krampe' (meaning a clamp, hook, or muscle spasm), related to Old English 'crampian' (to curve or contract). The sense likely evolved from the idea of the body drawing together tightly or being constricted like a metal clamp.
🇬🇧More English Words to English
View all English words →A measurement of time indicating an instantaneous occurrence or a state where no time has elapsed.
The base unit of time in the International System of Units (SI), equal to the duration of 9,192,631,770 periods of the radiation corresponding to the transition between the two hyperfine levels of the ground state of the caesium-133 atom.
A specific duration of time equal to one hour and forty-six minutes and twelve seconds.
The cardinal number equal to one thousand million (1,000,000,000), expressed in scientific notation as 10^9.