sprag
/ˈspɹæɡ/
sprag is the alternative form of sprack.
Verb
sprag (third-person singular simple present sprags, present participle spragging, simple past and past participle spragged)
- To check the motion of, as a carriage on a steep slope, by putting a sprag between the spokes of the wheel.
- Accidents happen to the driver while running alongside his trip, spragging wheels or applying brakes1911, L. M. Jones, “Accidents from Mine Cars and Locomotives”, in Miners' Circular
- To prop or sustain with a sprag.
Meaning of sprack
Adjective
sprack (comparative more sprack, superlative most sprack)
- lively, full of energy
- She was apprenticed as a 'pupil teacher,' at fourteen years of age, and deemed to have a more than ordinary chance of doing well and getting on, for she was clever, and what is called 'sprack' in the part of the country where she lived.1864, Jean Ingelow, chapter 1, in Studies for Stories: Emily's Ambition
Noun
sprag (plural sprags)
- A billet of wood; a piece of timber, a similar solid object or constructed unit used as a prop.
- A sprag (fig. 349) is a steel block so shaped as to act as a wedge in the complete assembly. In the sprag unit under discussion, there are 42 sprags assembled into an outer race and held in place by two energizing springs (fig. 350).1956, United States Department of the Army, United States Department of the Air Force, Principles of Automotive Vehicles, Technical Manual 9-8000, page 325
- When checking sprags, anvil and spindle ends of micrometer and flat back of sprag must all rest on a flat surface as shown in view A.
- Since wear on all sprags in any one sprag unit will be the same, it is only necessary to check 5 sprags in each assembly.1981, (US) Departments of the Army and Air Force, Maintenance: Direct Support, and General Support Level, Technical Manual 9-2520-246-34-1, page 2-201
Forms of sprag
| Adjective | |
|---|---|
| comparative | more sprag |
| superlative | most sprag |
| Noun | |
| plural | sprags |
| Verb | |
| third-person singular present | sprags |
| present participle | spragging |
| past participle | spragged |
| past | spragged |
Origin of sprag
See spray (“a branch”).
Words formed from sprag
- sprag clutch
Words that rhyme with sprag
Questions about sprag
- What does sprag mean?
- Sprag means a billet of wood; a piece of timber, a similar solid object or constructed unit used as a prop.
- What is sprag the alternative form of?
- Sprag is the alternative form of sprack.
- What part of speech is sprag?
- Sprag can be a noun or a verb.
- How do you pronounce sprag?
- Sprag is pronounced /ˈspɹæɡ/.
- What is the plural of sprag?
- The plural of sprag is sprags.
Words near sprag in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: sprag (page history and authors); sprack (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
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Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-sprag.wav.
Cite this entry: “sprag.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/sprag. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.