Cramp (Verb)
Meaning 1
Secure with a cramp; "cramp the wood".
Classification
Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging.
Examples
- Before constructing the wooden bridge, the crew made sure to cramp all the joists securely in place.
- Carpenters use cramps to ensure that the wood is tightly joined while the glue dries.
- To secure the framing, the builder chose to cramp the wood, tightening the components of the structure.
- The woodworker had to cramp the wood together carefully to ensure a perfect fit.
- Expert craftsmen often cramp the wood to hold the pieces together while bonding occurs.
Hypernyms
Related Words
Meaning 2
Suffer from sudden painful contraction of a muscle.
Classification
Verbs of grooming, dressing and bodily care.
Examples
- She suddenly winced as her leg began to cramp up during the long run.
- The extreme heat caused his calf muscle to cramp halfway through the hike.
- All the heavy lifting caused his back to cramp, and he needed to rest.
- After the long, intense swim, his arm started to cramp from exhaustion.
- The athlete had to stop playing because her hamstring began to cramp severely.
Hypernyms
Meaning 3
Affect with or as if with a cramp.
Classification
Verbs of grooming, dressing and bodily care.
Examples
- Her legs began to cramp after running the marathon, making every step agonizing.
- The cold water seemed to cramp his muscles, limiting his swimming capabilities.
- Lack of sleep seemed to cramp his ability to concentrate on the long drive ahead.
- Fears of failure had been known to cramp even the most skilled musician's performance.
- Her nerves cramp up at the thought of public speaking, making her voice shake uncontrollably.
Meaning 4
Prevent the progress or free movement of; "He was hampered in his efforts by the bad weather"; "the imperialist nation wanted to strangle the free trade between the two small countries".
Classification
Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc..
Examples
- The tight deadlines were starting to cramp their style, forcing them to produce mediocre work.
- Bureaucratic red tape began to cramp the expansion of the small business.
- A strict curfew would cramp the university students' ability to travel freely.
- Overregulation could cramp the innovation that startups bring to the industry.
- Lack of funding began to cramp the team's efforts to develop new medical treatments.