spurt

C2 Topic:Cause, Change & Process

Also spelled spirting

US /spɝt/ UK /spɜːt/ See IPA manual

Freq #28908

Meanings

1

verb
to gush out suddenly and forcefully in a stream or jet

Blood began to spurt from the cut until pressure was applied.
2

noun
a sudden forceful stream or jet of liquid

A spurt of muddy water shot from the broken pipe.
3

noun
a short burst of increased activity, speed, effort, or growth

The team made a final spurt toward the finish line.
4

verb
to move, grow, or act with a sudden brief increase in speed or energy

Sales spurted after the favorable review appeared.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 verb · to gush out suddenly and... gush spout jet

2 noun · a sudden forceful stream or... jet squirt gush

3 noun · a short burst of increased... burst surge

4 verb · to move, grow, or act with... surge accelerate

Opposites

trickleslowdown

Word family

Forms spurtedspurtingspurts

Derived forms bespurtoutspurtspurtinglyspurtiveupspurt

Related forms spout squirt sprint

Etymology

An altered form of earlier spirt, related to Middle English spritten and Old English spryttan, "to sprout." These forms belong to a Germanic word family for springing or bursting forth. The short-burst sense extends the image of liquid suddenly shooting from an opening.

Topics

Cause, Change & Process Actions & Processes

External links

# spurt

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2
**Part of speech:** verb, noun
**IPA (US):** /spɝt/
**IPA (UK):** /spɜːt/
**Frequency rank:** 28908

## Meanings
1. to gush out suddenly and forcefully in a stream or jet
2. a sudden forceful stream or jet of liquid
3. a short burst of increased activity, speed, effort, or growth
4. to move, grow, or act with a sudden brief increase in speed or energy

## Examples
- Blood began to spurt from the cut until pressure was applied.
- A spurt of muddy water shot from the broken pipe.
- The team made a final spurt toward the finish line.
- Sales spurted after the favorable review appeared.

## Synonyms
- gush
- jet
- burst
- surge

## Antonyms
- trickle
- slowdown

## Derived Forms
- bespurt
- outspurt
- spurtingly
- spurtive
- upspurt

## Related Forms
- spout
- squirt
- sprint

## Etymology
An altered form of earlier spirt, related to Middle English spritten and Old English spryttan, "to sprout." These forms belong to a Germanic word family for springing or bursting forth. The short-burst sense extends the image of liquid suddenly shooting from an opening.

## Topics
- Cause, Change & Process
- Actions & Processes

markdown