cramp
/kræmp/ (bre, ipa) · /kræmp/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈkramp/ (ame, mw)
cramp — 名詞
- crampsingular
- crampsplural
1. a sudden tight and painful feeling in a muscle that stops you from moving that p
肌肉痙攣
肌肉突然劇烈收縮引起的疼痛
a sudden tight and painful feeling in a muscle that stops you from moving that part of your body easily, often after exercise, from cold, or when you have used the muscle too much
After running the marathon, Diego got a painful cramp in his left calf muscle.
跑完馬拉松後，Diego 的左小腿肌肉抽筋，痛得厲害。
get a cramp in [body part]
Swimming in cold water often gives Mei-Lin a cramp in her foot.
在冷水中游泳常讓 Mei-Lin 的腳抽筋。
The doctor said the cramp in Kwame's thigh was caused by dehydration.
醫生說 Kwame 的大腿抽筋是因為脫水引起的。
A sudden cramp in my hand made me drop the pen during the exam.
我的手突然抽筋，考試時筆都握不住掉在地上。
Noor stretched her arms carefully to avoid a cramp before the race.
Noor 在比賽前仔細伸展手臂，以免抽筋。
- spasm
any involuntary muscle contraction, not necessarily painful; broader than cramp
- muscle knot
informal term for a tight band of muscle fibres, often painful
- charley horse
informal North American term for a leg cramp, especially in the thigh
文法句型
get a cramp in [body part]
have a cramp
常見錯誤
2. pains in the lower stomach or abdominal area that some women and girls experienc
經痛
月經引起的腹部絞痛
pains in the lower stomach or abdominal area that some women and girls experience during their monthly period
Emma took a pain reliever for the cramps that came with her period.
Emma 服用了止痛藥來緩解經期帶來的腹部絞痛。
have / get cramps with period
Hot tea and a warm towel helped ease Sofia's stomach cramps.
熱茶和溫毛巾幫助減輕了 Sofia 的經痛。
Severe menstrual cramps can make it hard to concentrate at school.
嚴重的經痛會讓人難以在學校專心上課。
The nurse told Amara that light exercise might reduce her cramps.
護士告訴 Amara 適度的運動或許能減輕她的經痛。
- period pain
more general term, may include other types of discomfort besides cramping
- dysmenorrhea
medical term; more formal and not used in everyday conversation
文法句型
have cramps
menstrual cramps
period cramps
用法筆記
Usually used in the plural form 'cramps' for this sense. Singular 'a cramp' typically refers to a muscle cramp elsewhere in the body.
常見錯誤
3. a sudden sharp pain in the stomach or abdominal area that is not related to a wo
腹部絞痛
非經期的腹部劇烈疼痛
a sudden sharp pain in the stomach or abdominal area that is not related to a woman's monthly period and may be caused by illness, food, or overeating
After eating too quickly, Tom felt a sharp cramp in his stomach.
Tom 吃得太快，結果肚子一陣劇烈絞痛。
sharp cramp + eating too quickly
Food poisoning gave everyone at the party a bad stomach cramp.
食物中毒讓派對上的每個人都肚子絞痛得很厲害。
A sudden cramp in my abdomen made me double over in the hallway.
我的腹部突然一陣絞痛，在走廊上痛得彎下了腰。
Children with a stomach cramp should drink clear fluids and rest.
肚子絞痛的孩子應該多喝清水並好好休息。
- stomach ache
broader term for any abdominal discomfort, not necessarily sharp or sudden
- belly ache
informal, mainly North American English, often used by children
- abdominal pain
more formal and clinical; used by doctors
文法句型
have a stomach cramp
get a cramp in the stomach
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 2 (PERIOD PAIN): this sense applies to anyone regardless of gender or menstrual status and usually refers to a single sharp episode rather than ongoing aching.
4. a piece of metal shaped like a clip or clamp, used to hold two pieces of wood, s
夾具
用來固定木材或石塊的金屬器具
a piece of metal shaped like a clip or clamp, used to hold two pieces of wood, stone, or other material firmly together
The carpenter used a metal cramp to hold the wooden boards together while the glue dried.
木匠用金屬夾具把木板夾緊，等膠水乾固。
use a cramp to hold [things] together
Stone workers fixed the blocks in place with iron cramps before adding the next layer.
石匠用鐵製夾具固定石塊，然後才疊上下一層。
Haruki secured the shelf by tightening the cramp against the wooden frame.
Haruki 把夾具鎖緊在木框上，將層板固定住。
Old cathedrals often have iron cramps holding the stone walls together.
古老的教堂經常用鐵製夾具把石牆接合在一起。
文法句型
fasten with a cramp
use a cramp to hold
用法筆記
This is a specialised workshop or construction term. In everyday conversation, 'clamp' is far more common.
cramp — 動詞
- cramppresent simple I / you / we / they
- cramps3rd person singular
- cramping-ing form
- crampedpast simple
1. to limit or restrict someone or something in a way that prevents natural develop
限制；約束
限制自由或發展空間
to limit or restrict someone or something in a way that prevents natural development, free movement, or full enjoyment of life
Living with his parents cramped Amir's social life during his first year of college.
和父母同住限制了 Amir 大學第一年的社交生活。
cramp [someone's] [noun] — limits freedom
The strict dress code cramped students' ability to express themselves at school.
嚴格的服裝規定限制了學生在學校表達自我的能力。
A tight budget cramped their plans for a long holiday abroad.
預算吃緊讓他們出國度長假的計劃受到限制。
Having a small baby cramped Yuna and her husband's freedom in the early months.
剛生小孩的那幾個月，Yuna 和丈夫的自由大受限制。
The cramped office space cramped the team's creativity and made collaboration difficult.
狹小的辦公室空間限制了團隊的創意，也讓協作變得困難。
文法句型
cramp [someone's] [activity / freedom / style]
be cramped by [something]
用法筆記
Often used in the fixed expression 'cramp someone's style,' which means to prevent someone from doing what they want or behaving naturally.
常見錯誤
2. when a muscle suddenly tightens painfully and becomes hard, making it difficult
抽筋
肌肉突然收縮而感到疼痛
when a muscle suddenly tightens painfully and becomes hard, making it difficult or impossible to move the affected part of the body
Deepak's leg cramped up during the last five kilometres of the marathon.
Deepak 跑馬拉松到最後五公里時腿抽筋了。
[body part] cramp up — phrasal pattern
The swimmer's arms began to cramp after an hour in the cold water.
那位游泳選手的雙臂在冷水中待了一小時後開始抽筋。
My fingers cramped from holding the pencil for too long without taking a break.
我的手指因為握筆太久沒休息而抽筋了。
If you do not stretch beforehand, your muscles may cramp halfway through the hike.
如果事先不做好伸展，你的肌肉可能會在健行中途抽筋。
Anh's back cramped suddenly as she bent down to pick up the heavy box.
Anh 彎腰搬起重箱時，背部突然抽筋。
- go into spasm
more clinical; describes the same process of involuntary contraction
- seize up
informal; can describe both muscles and machines that stop working
文法句型
[body part] cramps (up)
begin to cramp
用法筆記
Commonly used with 'up' ('cramp up'), especially in informal speech. The verb is almost always intransitive in this sense — you do not 'cramp' something else; a body part 'cramps' or 'cramps up'.
常見錯誤
3. to fasten or hold pieces of material such as wood, stone, or metal tightly toget
用夾具固定
用金屬夾夾緊物件
to fasten or hold pieces of material such as wood, stone, or metal tightly together using a metal clip or clamp
The mason cramped the stone slabs together before the mortar dried.
泥水匠在灰泥乾燥之前用夾具把石板夾緊。
cramp [pieces] together — transitive pattern
To keep the frame steady, Oliver cramped the joints on each side of the cabinet.
為了讓框架保持穩固，Oliver 用夾具固定了櫥櫃兩側的接合處。
The dock workers cramped the heavy timbers together to prevent them from shifting at sea.
碼頭工人用夾具把厚重的木料夾緊，以免它們在海上移位。
You need to cramp the two pieces firmly while the glue sets.
你需要在膠水凝固前將兩塊材料用夾具牢牢夾緊。
文法句型
cramp [something] together
cramp [something] to [something]
用法筆記
This is a technical term used mainly in carpentry, stonemasonry, and metalworking. In everyday English, 'clamp' is used instead.
cramp — 形容詞
- cramppositive
- crampercomparative
- crampestsuperlative
1. having very little space to move or fit into, so that people or things feel unco
狹窄的
空間不足而感到擁擠
having very little space to move or fit into, so that people or things feel uncomfortably squeezed together
The four of them shared a cramp flat with only one small bedroom.
他們四個人合住一間狹窄的公寓，只有一間小臥室。
cramp [flat / room / space] — attributive use
The kitchen was too cramp for two people to cook at the same time.
廚房太窄了，兩個人在裡面無法同時做菜。
Passengers felt cramp in the narrow seats of the budget airline.
廉價航空的座位又窄又擠，乘客覺得很不舒服。
The storage room was dark and cramp, with barely enough room to stand.
儲藏室又暗又窄，幾乎沒有站立的空間。
As the family grew, their cramp apartment felt smaller every day.
隨著家人越來越多，他們狹窄的公寓日益顯得擁擠不堪。
文法句型
cramp quarters
cramp flat
feel cramp
用法筆記
The more common modern form of this sense is 'cramped' (e.g. 'a cramped room'). Using 'cramp' as an adjective sounds slightly old-fashioned or literary, though it is still understood.
常見錯誤
2. written in a way that is very small, squeezed together, and difficult to underst
難辨認的
字跡緊密而難以閱讀
written in a way that is very small, squeezed together, and difficult to understand or figure out, usually referring to handwriting or printed text
The doctor's cramp handwriting was almost impossible for the pharmacist to read.
醫師的字跡又小又擠，藥劑師幾乎無法辨認。
cramp handwriting — attributive adjective
The old letter was written in such cramp script that I needed a magnifying glass.
那封舊信的字跡又小又密，我得用放大鏡才看得清楚。
Students complained that the exam used cramp fonts that hurt their eyes.
學生抱怨考試用的字體太密，看得眼睛很不舒服。
Nora left a note with cramp writing squeezed into the corner of the page.
Nora 留了張紙條，字跡擠在頁角，密密麻麻的。
文法句型
cramp handwriting
cramp script
用法筆記
This adjective is almost always used right before a noun (attributive position) and is less common in modern English than the synonym 'cramped'.