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# cramp

«cramp» in Mova's school dictionary: **a sudden, painful tightening of a muscle, often in the…** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 5 sentences of Mova's corpora that use it.

### 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 →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/cramp/#m1)

2) Cramps are pains in the stomach. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/cramp/#m2)

3) To cramp means to stop someone moving or acting freely: cramp your style. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/cramp/#m3)

### 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 →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/cramp/#x1)
- Stretch your leg to ease the cramp. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/cramp/#x2)
- My hand had a cramp after writing so much. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/cramp/#x3)
- She had stomach cramps after eating too fast. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/cramp/#x4)
- A cramp in the water can be dangerous, so swim near the shore. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/cramp/#x5)
- The small car felt cramped with five people in it. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/cramp/#x6)
- 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 →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/cramp/#x7)

### 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.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/medicine/37-warming-up-stitches-and-cramp/4/)
- [The old rule of waiting an hour after eating before swimming, or you'll get cramp, has no good evidence behind it.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/medicine/37-warming-up-stitches-and-cramp/17/)
- [A cramp must be stretched slowly and gently; jerking it hard can pull the muscle.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/medicine/37-warming-up-stitches-and-cramp/18/)
- [A banana is a good snack, but it does not prevent cramp in sport for most people.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/myths/29-let-s-test-it-experiments-and-fair-tests/12/)
- [There is no good evidence that eating before swimming makes you cramp and drown, but a pool may have its own rules.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/myths/33-when-the-teacher-gets-it-wrong/12/)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every meaning and example of «cramp» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/cramp/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.