sprint
- 01 B1 Intermediate
n.a short race where you run as fast as you can from start to finish.
n.a short-distance race in which the competitors maintain maximum speed throughout.
Simple“He won the 100-metre sprint by just a fraction of a second.”
In context“The Olympic sprint requires explosive power from the starting blocks and perfect form to maintain velocity over the final twenty metres.”
- 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.a short period where you work or move very quickly to finish something.
n.a brief, intense effort or burst of activity aimed at completing a specific task.
Simple“We had a final sprint at the office to get the report finished by Friday.”
In context“After months of slow progress, the team entered a final sprint to ensure the product was ready for the international trade show.”
- 03 C1 Advanced
n.a set period of time, usually two weeks, where a team works to finish specific tasks.
n.a fixed-duration development cycle in Agile methodology, typically lasting two to four weeks.
Simple“The team decided which features to include in the next two-week sprint.”
In context“During the sprint planning meeting, the developers estimated the complexity of each task to ensure the workload remained manageable within the fortnight.”
- 04 B1 Intermediate
v.to run or move at your highest possible speed for a short time.
v.to run, cycle, or move at maximum speed for a limited duration. Often used without a direct object.
Simple“I had to sprint to the station so I wouldn't miss the last train.”
In context“The striker managed to sprint past the defenders, reaching the ball just in time to take a shot at the goal.”
Alteration of earlier sprent (“to leap; bound; dart”), from Northern Middle English sprenten, from Old Norse sprenta (for later spretta), from Proto-Germanic sprantijaną, causative of Proto-Germanic sprintaną (“to jump up; bounce”), from Proto-Indo-European sprend-, sprendʰ- (“to flinch; jump”), from Proto-Indo-European sper- (“to twitch; fidget; flinch; jump; be quick”). Cognate with Middle High German sprenzen (“to sprinkle; splash”), Swedish spritta (“to startle”), Icelandic spretta (“to spring forth; emerge; arise; develop”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.