ENGLISH
REFERENCE

sprained

adj.
B2 Upper Intermediate US //ˈspɹeɪnd// UK //spɹˈeɪnd// sprained

adj. describing a joint, like an ankle or wrist, that is injured because it was twisted suddenly. It usually causes pain and swelling but the bone is not broken.

adj. relating to a joint injury caused by a sudden wrench or twist of the ligaments. Often used as a participial adjective to describe the state of a limb or joint following such trauma.


SIMPLE

He cannot walk well because of his sprained ankle.

CONTEXTUAL

The athlete had to sit out the final match after showing up to practice with a badly sprained wrist.

COMPLEX

Although the X-ray confirmed no bones were fractured, the doctor warned that a severely sprained ligament could take longer to heal than a clean break.

Synonyms
Usage

Often follows linking verbs like 'is', 'looks', or 'feels'; frequently modifies nouns like 'ankle', 'wrist', or 'knee'.

Pitfall

I sprained my boneI sprained my ankleYou sprain ligaments or joints, not bones; for bones, the correct verb is 'break' or 'fracture'.

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