What Is The Past Tense Of Spring?
The past tense of spring is sprang or sprung. Sprang is more commonly used, but sprung is an acceptable alternative. Spring is an irregular verb, so you need to memorize these special forms.
The past participle of reset is sprung. This is also a way to help you distinguish spring past tense and past participle tense. We don’t say “have sprang”, but say “have sprung”.
You can check the table below for more verb forms of spring:
| Base/Infinitive Form (V1) | spring |
| Present Form/3rd Person/Singular Form | springs |
| Past Form (V2) | sprang/sprung |
| Past Participle Form (V3) | sprung |
| Present Participle/Gerund | springing |
How To Pronounce “Sprang” And “Sprung” Correctly?
The base form spring is pronounced as /sprɪŋ/ in both American and British accents, the pronunciation of the past tense sprang is /spræŋ/, and sprung is /sprʌŋ/.
You can check out the table below for more details.
| Verb Forms | Pronunciation | |
| British English language | American English language | |
| spring | /sprɪŋ/ | /sprɪŋ/ |
| sprang/sprung
(V2) |
/spræŋ/
/sprʌŋ/ |
/spræŋ/
/sprʌŋ/ |
| sprung (V3) | /sprʌŋ/ | /sprʌŋ/ |
| springing | /sprɪŋɪŋ/ | /sprɪŋɪŋ/ |
How to pronounce spring, sprang, and sprung correctly? You can refer to the videos below:
How to say spring:
How to say sprang:
How to say sprung:
What Are The Definitions Of Sprang/Sprung?
The past tense of the verb spring has the same meanings as the base form spring, but is used to talk about actions that happened before the time of speaking. Below is the definition of spring:
- (of a person or an animal) To move quickly and suddenly around a special place
Example 1: The cat sprang/sprung off the couch and chased after the toy.
Example 2: As soon as the race began, the sprinter sprang/sprung forward and quickly took the lead.
- (of an object) to move suddenly, quickly, and violently
Example 1: The trap sprang/sprung shut, trapping the mouse inside.
Example 2: As the jack-in-the-box reached the end of its tune, the clown inside sprang/sprung out suddenly, startling the children.
- To appear suddenly
Example 1: A rabbit sprang/sprung from the bushes and darted across the path.
Example 2: The answer to the puzzle finally sprang/sprung to mind, and I shouted it out triumphantly.
- To do/say something that someone is not expecting
Example 1: In the middle of the conversation, he sprang/sprung a surprise proposal on her.
Example 2: The comedian sprang/sprung a joke that caught the audience off-guard.
- To help a prisoner to escape
Example 1: The criminal’s accomplice sprang/sprung him from jail in the middle of the night.
Example 2: The gang sprang/sprung their leader from prison by overpowering the guards.
Exercises
FAQs
What Are The Synonyms And Antonyms Of Spring?
According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, common synonyms of the verb spring are:
Leap, jump, hop, vault, bound, bounce, pounce, begin, originate, commence, arise, form, appear, dawn, set in, emerge, arrive, last, break, live, exist, attack, caper, romp, lope, hurdle, release, rescue, loose, liberate, loosen, save, and uncage.
Antonyms of spring are: end, stop, cease, finish, halt, conclude, terminate, discontinue, quit, disappear, vanish, evaporate, dissolve, expire, perish, depart, desist, confine, bind, restrain, jail, fetter, intern, commit, enchain, lock (up), and conquer.
Is Spring A Noun?
Yes, spring is also a noun, with 3 main meanings as below:
- A season between winter and summer
Example: I love the flowers that bloom in spring.
- A metal coil that returns to its original shape when compressed or stretched
Example: The car’s suspension springs were replaced to improve its performance.
- A source of water that flows naturally from the ground
Example: We went for a hike to visit the local spring.
What Are Some Phrasal Verbs And Idioms With Spring?
Phrasal Verbs:
- Spring for: to pay for or provide something
Example: If you want to go to the concert, I’ll spring for the tickets.
- Spring from: to start from or be the result of a particular source or cause
Example: Her love of gardening springs from childhood memories of helping her grandmother in the garden.
- Spring up: to appear or arise suddenly (Click here to see past tense of arise)
Example: After the rain, wildflowers sprang up all over the meadow.
Idioms:
- Come/spring to mind: to suddenly remember or think of something.
Example: When I think of my childhood, memories of my grandmother’s cooking always spring to mind. (See past tense of think)
- Hope springs eternal: expresses the idea that people always continue to hope for the best, even in difficult situations.
Example: Even though the team has been struggling, they still believe they can make the playoffs. After all, hope springs eternal.
- Spring into action, spring into/to life: suddenly start working or doing something
Example: When the company received a large new order, the factory sprang into action to increase production.
- Spring a leak: To develop a hole or crack so that water or other fluid may flow through.
Example: I was driving my car when the radiator suddenly sprang a leak and started steaming.
- Spring a trap: to make a trap to catch or ensnare something
Example: The hunter waited patiently for the deer to spring a trap.
His name is Benjamin Essek – The founder of Grammar Wiki. He is an English native speaker and has joined many English classes, learning communities to support other people with this common language as well.