spurt
pronunciation
How to pronounce spurt in British English:
UK [spɜːt]
How to pronounce spurt in American English:
US [spɜːrt]
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- Noun:
- the occurrence of a sudden discharge (as of liquid)
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- Verb:
- gush forth in a sudden stream or jet
- move or act with a sudden increase in speed or energy
Word Origin
- spurt
- spurt: see spit
- spurt (v.)
- "to gush out, squirt," 1560s, variant of spirt, perhaps cognate with Middle High German spürzen "to spit," and sprützen "to squirt" (see sprout (v.)). Related: Spurted; spurting. The noun in this sense is attested from 1775.
- spurt (n.)
- "brief burst of activity," 1560s, variant of spirt "brief period of time" (1540s), of uncertain origin, perhaps somehow connected with spurt (v.).
Example
- 1. This was because a good part of this year 's growth spurt was attributable to firms replenishing their inventories sooner than had been expected .
- 2. Above all , the construction business has been so depressed that even a minor spurt in demand from new households could give prices a lift .
- 3. This spurt set america apart from other rich countries .
- 4. At 18 months the language center of the brain experiences a massive synaptic spurt , producing an explosion in grammar .
- 5. Huawei expects its growth to slow , partly because its increased size means it cannot sustain the spurt of recent years .