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to spring

to spring

145 2.5
To appear or happen suddenly
  • verb
  • /sprɪŋ/
translation icon : surgir
  • Everywhere, shanty villages had sprung up; people dwelling in the rubble of their past lives.
  • spring to mind
  • spring to life
  • settlements spring up

Let me just say that the words mafia springs to mind at times, right?

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Examples

  • By now, prairie restoration is so successful that prairie projects are springing up all across the Midwest.

    Academic text (1993)
  • Surprises spring up when you least expect them.

  • So all of these, all of these new techniques sort of spring from that tradition.

  • We'll be sure to let you know if anything else springs to mind.

  • There are tent cities springing up all over the country.

  • Colleges don't just spring up out of the ground overnight.

  • The flowers spring to life each year as spring arrives.

  • New ideas often spring from interesting discussions and debates.

Synonyms

to emerge
vsto spring
604 4.0

To become known or start to exist, for example as an idea

is the sudden reveal not the slower process of becoming known
to come to
vsto spring
546 3.1

Suddenly have an idea or memory

is used for sudden events or revelations beyond mental realizations
to pop
vsto spring
492 2.0

To make something open or appear quickly

is the general verb for sudden appearance without implying a quick small action
to occur
vsto spring
339 2.4

Come into someone's mind suddenly or unexpectedly

is broader covering sudden outward appearance as well as mental events
to jump
vsto spring
217 1.0

To move or start suddenly because you are surprised

is about sudden outward appearance or happening rather than mainly movement
to come along
vsto spring
183 3.0

To appear or arrive when you do not expect it

is used for sudden appearance or revelation rather than availability
to burst
vsto spring
115 1.9

Enter or appear suddenly with energy

is the general suddenness idea without stressing energetic movement
to spring up
vsto spring
43 3.3

To appear quickly in a place, often as new shops or cafes

is the single-word form used broadly in many contexts
to pop out
vsto spring
20 2.9

To appear suddenly without warning

is used for sudden events or revelations beyond immediate sight
to crop up
vsto spring
20 4.3

To appear suddenly, often as a problem or question

is used for sudden events in general not mainly for problems
to come forth
vsto spring
  • Formal
7 4.2

Appear from a place, often suddenly

is the everyday term for sudden appearance not mainly formal in tone
to burst forth
vsto spring
5 5.4

Suddenly start to happen with a lot of energy

is sudden appearance without the high force or energetic burst
to leap out
vsto spring
3 3.1

To jump out suddenly from a hiding place to surprise someone

is for sudden appearance generally not only physical jumps from hiding
to burst out
vsto spring
2 3.4

Start suddenly and appear or happen quickly

is sudden but usually without the strong force or impact implied here
to burst upon
vsto spring
1 6.1

Suddenly appear in a place or in someone's mind and surprise people

is sudden but may lack the direct shocking arrival implied here
to upspring
vsto spring
  • Archaic
9.9

To begin suddenly in the mind as an idea or feeling

is the modern common verb used in everyday contexts rather than this old style

Antonyms

1.0

To stop being seen or to no longer be there

Idioms

1 3.7

The season when weather gets warmer and plants start to grow

1 4.9

An energetic way of walking that shows happiness or confidence

Phrasal Verbs

43 3.3

To appear quickly in a place, often as new shops or cafes

to spring for
  • Informal
22 7.6

To pay for something as a treat for other people

To come quickly into your head without trying

Start working or moving quickly after being quiet

To clean the whole house very thoroughly, usually in spring

1 2.8

To get out of bed quickly and full of energy

1 7.2

To pay for dinner as a treat for others

Compounds

81 2.0

A short vacation from school in spring, usually one week

34 3.0

Practice and games in spring for baseball teams before the regular season starts

18 3.4

A natural source of hot water that comes from the ground

10 2.5

A small fried snack filled with vegetables and sometimes meat, often served as an appetizer

9 1.0

Water that comes from under the ground and is safe to drink

A deep cleaning of a home done at the start of spring

5 3.2

A strong cloth frame with springs that supports a mattress

A place where water from underground comes out

1 2.1

A young onion with a small bulb and long green stalks used raw or cooked

coil spring
  • Specialized
1 3.9

A long metal wire shaped into a spiral that pushes back to absorb shock in cars or mattresses

A time in early spring when day and night are about the same length, around March 21 in the north

A small wild plant with yellow flowers that blooms in early spring

leaf spring
  • Specialized
1 6.4

A long set of metal strips under a vehicle that absorbs shocks

1 9.0

A small North American tree frog that makes a very high, thin call near ponds in spring

A natural hot pool of water that comes from the ground

A young chicken that is tender and good for roasting

spring chicken
  • Informal
1 6.7

A young person who has little experience, sometimes used with no to say someone is not young

A bed surface filled with metal springs that supports your body while you sleep

Plants that bloom in spring

A small plant with slender leaves and pink flowers that blooms in early spring

air spring
  • Specialized
5.3

A part that uses compressed air to absorb bumps and vibrations in vehicles and machines

late-spring-blooming
  • Specialized
3.9

A plant that has flowers in the later part of spring

A small secret pocket with a spring that holds small valuable items inside clothing

Pierian spring
  • Literature
9.9

A source of ideas and inspiration for art and learning

spiral spring
  • Specialized
4.9

A wire coiled into a spiral that stores and releases energy to make things turn

Time in spring when pollen is high and many people sneeze or have itchy eyes

spring balance
  • Specialized
6.0

A tool that measures weight using a metal spring and shows it on a scale

7.8

A small North American plant with two thick leaves, pink or white flowers, and a small edible underground bulb

spring cankerworm
  • Specialized
9.9

A caterpillar that eats leaves from trees like elm and maple in early spring

spring frog
  • Specialized
4.9

A small green or brown animal that lives near ponds and wet places and croaks

spring gun
  • NSFW
9.2

A hidden device set to shoot as a trap when someone touches or moves something near it

9.5

A low shrub that blooms early in spring with small bell-shaped red flowers

spring cleavers
  • Specialized
9.3

A small plant with curved prickly stems that stick to clothes and animal fur

spring cress
  • Specialized
7.7

A small plant with white flowers that grows in wet places near streams

9.9

A small plant by the sea with blue or purple flowers in spring

A pocket with a spring that closes to hold small items securely

spring scale
  • Specialized
4.3

A small tool that measures weight or force by how much a metal coil stretches

A small bushy plant with violet-blue flowers like a pea that blooms in spring

8.9

A climbing or bushy plant with purple-blue flowers grown to feed animals and make soil richer

A plant that has flowers in spring

A small wild plant that comes back every year with low thick leaves and small white flowers with pink edges

volute spring
  • Specialized
7.5

A metal coil that absorbs shock and stores energy

How Suddenly

to erupt
123 4.2
to spring
145 2.5
to emerge
604 4.0
to appear
873 1.0

Surface Forms

spring infinitive
springing present participle
springs third person singular
sprang past
sprung past participle

Etymology

Spring meaning to appear or happen suddenly comes from the same root meaning 'to burst out' or 'rise up'. So when a problem or event 'springs up', it is like something that suddenly bursts into view.