# spring from

CEFR C1 · Phrasal verb

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/spring-from
Updated: 2026-10-23

## Definition

to start or come from something suddenly; to be the result of a specific idea or event.

For teachers: to originate from a particular source or cause; often used to describe the sudden emergence of an idea, feeling, or physical movement. The verb is intransitive and requires the preposition 'from' to link to the source.

## Examples

- New ideas often spring from simple conversations.
- The entire legal case springs from a single mistake made by the clerk last year.
- The novelist's vivid descriptions spring from her childhood memories of the rugged Irish coastline.

## Usage notes

- often used in the past tense ('sprung from') to describe origins or sudden movements.
- Teaching tip: contrast with 'result from' to show that 'spring from' implies a more sudden or organic beginning; it is more common in descriptive or literary writing than in technical reports.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.