cramp
part of speech
noun (a cramp, cramps; cramp — uncountable in UK); verb (cramp, cramps, cramped, cramping)
meaning for a pupil
1) A cramp is a sudden, painful tightening of a muscle, often in the leg or foot. tree →
2) Cramps are pains in the stomach. tree →
3) To cramp means to stop someone moving or acting freely: cramp your style. tree →
sense in the lessons
In PE and swimming lessons, pupils learn that cramp can happen when muscles are tired; stretching gently and drinking water help. In everyday life, writing for a long time can give you a cramp in your hand. Phrases: get cramp, leg cramp, stomach cramps, cramped (crowded).
examples
- I got cramp in my leg during the race. tree →
- Stretch your leg to ease the cramp. tree →
- My hand had a cramp after writing so much. tree →
- She had stomach cramps after eating too fast. tree →
- A cramp in the water can be dangerous, so swim near the shore. tree →
- The small car felt cramped with five people in it. tree →
- Even where he was, Shere Khan’s shoulders and forepaws were cramped for want of room, as a man’s would be if he tried to fight in a barrel. tree →
note
In the UK people often say I've got cramp (uncountable); in the USA, I have a cramp (countable). Adjective cramped means too small and crowded. Myth: you don't have to wait an hour after eating before swimming, but a big meal can make you uncomfortable.
In the corpora
- Cramp is a muscle that suddenly tightens and won't let go, often a calf in the last tired minutes of a match.
- The old rule of waiting an hour after eating before swimming, or you'll get cramp, has no good evidence behind it.
- A cramp must be stretched slowly and gently; jerking it hard can pull the muscle.
- A banana is a good snack, but it does not prevent cramp in sport for most people.
- There is no good evidence that eating before swimming makes you cramp and drown, but a pool may have its own rules.
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «cramp» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.