Definition of "spasm" [spasm]

• A sudden, involuntary contraction of a muscle or group of muscles. (noun)
• A sudden burst of energy, activity, or emotion. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "Muscles in spasm, cut off from ligaments and blood straining with effort to keep the heart working."
• "Last night, however, my back in spasm from too much sitting, my wrists tingling and aching from too much typing, my husband (legitimately) annoyed because I was in a foul mood, my older son nearly in tears because his homework was to look through our trash and act like an archeologist but there is no good trash!,"
• "If Ms Spence had been black that would surely have left the home office twitching in spasm. on September 19, 2007 at 8: 04 am | Reply dickiebo"