Home UK English spurt

Meaning of spurt in English:

spurt

Pronunciation /spəːt/

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verb

  • 1no object, with adverbial of direction Gush out in a sudden and forceful stream.

    ‘he cut his finger, and blood spurted over the sliced potatoes’
    • ‘A stream of blood spurted out of his nose.’
    • ‘He stood clutching his neck, blood spurting out in pumps, a look of shock upon his face.’
    • ‘The stream of water that spurted from the hose did less to douse the fire than it did to fan the flames with its accompanying rush of air.’
    • ‘Witnesses saw blood spurting from the wound as she ran to them for help.’
    • ‘Blood started to spurt out of the wound, and I held my hand to my chest to stop the blood.’
    • ‘A warm stream of water spurted out and hit me square in the face.’
    • ‘The bullets slammed into Kessler's arm and chest, sending the gun flying one way and the man the other way, blood spurting from the bullet holes as he went spinning through the air.’
    • ‘The man yelled in pain as blood spurted out of his wound.’
    • ‘As the fire swept over the car the fuel tank began to boil and a six metre jet of flames spurted out of the back of the car.’
    • ‘When an emergency arises, a pipe bursts and hot water spurts from underneath the cabin, she grabs her child and goes to look for help.’
    • ‘By 8.40 am, water was spurting out of the hole at a rate of 200 litres a second.’
    • ‘There was an almighty clank inside the mixer unit and boiling hot water started spurting out the sides and over the edge of the bath onto the floor.’
    squirt, shoot, spray, fountain, jet, erupt
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    1. 1.1with object and adverbial of direction Cause to gush out suddenly.
      ‘the kettle boiled and spurted scalding water everywhere’
      • ‘Then the pipes started to shudder, the faucet spurting dirty water into the soap-filled sink.’
      • ‘Families come carrying picnic baskets, couples stroll holding hands, mothers push babies in prams, some people simply watch birds and others stand to marvel at the fountain spurting water.’
      • ‘The lake's remarkable centerpiece is a massive, yet elegant fountain that spurts water as high as 36 feet into the air.’
      • ‘They were drenched with cold water when holes in the walls of the bathroom facilities unexpectedly began to spurt water when someone switched on the water main.’
      • ‘Tiffindell gets a sprinkling of snow each year, but relies largely on snow machines, which spurt out a steady stream of snow over their single 500-metre slope during winter.’
      • ‘The pipe in Christ Church Road, Epsom, first burst on Thursday, September 4, and started spurting water over the Khaldi family's drive.’

  • 2no object, with adverbial of direction Move with a sudden burst of speed.

    ‘the other car had spurted to the top of the ramp’
    • ‘As further finds suggested Cairn had stumbled on almost a billion barrels of oil, the company's shares spurted from about £3 to £15.’
    • ‘On entering Henry Street, the car's engine revs, it spurts forward and the driver appears to lose control momentarily.’
    • ‘Year-on-year growth in output per worker spurted to 2.9 % in the second quarter.’
    • ‘Net profit of these four banks spurted by 77% to Rs 436 crore.’

noun

  • 1A sudden gushing stream.

    ‘a sudden spurt of blood gushed into her eyes’
    • ‘A sudden spurt of blood erupted from my nose, covering my white T-shirt in blood.’
    • ‘I could see clearly the spurt of blood that gushed out on to his ear and dripped down his cheek.’
    • ‘She choked, coughing up thin spurts of blood.’
    • ‘The medical lexicon distinguishes orgasm from ejaculation; the latter term specifically describes a sudden spurt of fluid released in response to sexual excitement.’
    • ‘What seemed like a shower of bullets ripped into the woman's body, sending spurts of crimson blood gushing out at every direct hit.’
    • ‘As her boyfriend's lifeless body slumps down from the chair onto the floor, spurts of blood splash all over Alice's face and body, staining them red.’
    • ‘Suddenly, there was a flash of metal, a spurt of blood, and a scream.’
    • ‘As the machine kneads a heaving mass of cheese, it gives off spurts of milk and a steady stream of warm, buttery cream.’
    squirt, spray, fountain, jet, spout
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  • 2A sudden marked burst or increase of activity or speed.

    ‘late in the race he put on a spurt and reached second place’
    • ‘a growth spurt’
    • ‘Having seen off his pursuer, Turvey put on a spurt in the second half of the contest and set the race's fastest lap as he closed in on leaders Matt Howson and Sam Bird.’
    • ‘At 30 km he and Australia's Nathan Deakes put on a spurt and opened up a 50m gap.’
    • ‘Warmer weather and promises of tax cuts from the major political parties have generated a renewed spurt of activity in the Western Bay residential property market.’
    • ‘The abolition of all taxes on production and exchange, he held, would result in a tremendous spurt of economic activity.’
    • ‘The company enjoyed a growth spurt between 1995 and 1998 when its turnover almost doubled to €1m.’
    • ‘The spurt in manufacturing growth stalled in the last quarter after a strong upturn in the previous six months.’
    • ‘Property development in the area has had a spurt in growth and so too have property prices.’
    • ‘Personal computers were about to revolutionize the business world, and the tech industry was beginning its phenomenal growth spurt.’
    • ‘And since children experience frequent growth spurts, they need to eat more, drink more, and breathe more, proportionately, than adults do.’
    • ‘Growth spurts and increased eating are normal between two and four months of age.’
    • ‘Well, after an initial upward spurt the shares have in fact shed 97% of their value.’
    • ‘During adolescence, it is natural to gain weight as you prepare for puberty or a sudden growth spurt.’
    • ‘However, after an initial spurt of action, nothing else really happened.’
    • ‘Interval training alternates repeated spurts of intensive activity with timed spans of slower periods of the same activity.’
    • ‘Revenue growth will clearly increase in the second half, thanks to a spurt in consumer demand.’
    • ‘The sudden spurt in alcohol consumption during the festive season is a disturbing trend.’
    • ‘Development may come in sudden spurts followed by centuries without change.’
    • ‘Sometimes children appear to plateau out and make very little progress for many months then they make a sudden spurt or they may progress normally in one subject and struggle with another.’
    • ‘Many autistic children seem to go through developmental spurts between ages 5 and 13.’
    • ‘Thus, a sudden evolutionary spurt is always subsumed within the overall processes of evolution, which are for the most part gradual.’
    burst of speed, turn of speed, increase of speed, burst of energy, sprint, rush
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Origin

Mid 16th century of unknown origin.