Definition
n. a sudden, short burst of activity or growth. You use this when something happens very quickly for a short time.
n. a sudden, brief period of rapid growth or activity. Often used to describe a temporary increase in speed, intensity, or volume.
Examples
“There was a sudden spurt of growth in the company's sales.”
“The athlete experienced a final spurt of energy during the last minute of the race to win the gold medal.”
“Economists noted a brief spurt of inflation following the new tax policy, though they expected prices to stabilize within the next fiscal quarter.”
Examples
simple
“There was a sudden spurt of growth in the company's sales.”
contextual
“The athlete experienced a final spurt of energy during the last minute of the race to win the gold medal.”
complex
“Economists noted a brief spurt of inflation following the new tax policy, though they expected prices to stabilize within the next fiscal quarter.”
Real-World Examples
“And if there's a lot of rain we might even see "a second spring" with trees putting on an extra spurt of growth, he says.” “It’ll spurt out the scent for a few seconds before taking a break.” Etymology
From earlier spirt, sprit (“to sprout”), from Middle English sprytten, from Old English spryttan, from Proto-West Germanic spruttjan, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European (s)per- (“to strew, sow, sprinkle”).
Uncertain. May be derived from Etymology 1.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.B2 FirstIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.5.5–6.5TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 4.0–4.572–94TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.785–944
- Frequency
- Occasional
- Level
- B2 · Upper Intermediate
- Updated
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QR code
englishreference.com/q/spurt
「カタカナ語」 data: JMdict (EDRDG), CC BY-SA 4.0