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DictionaryspurtSudden increase
noun / verb

spurt

SPURT/spɜːrt/

A short forceful gush of liquid.

A spurt of water shoots upward from a split in the hose.

A concentrated burst of water shoots upward from a fresh split in a garden hose, breaking into large airborne droplets.
Etymology
spurtEnglishto gush out

Spurt is said to be a variant of spirt, meaning to gush out, whose origin is obscure. The separate “brief burst” sense comes from spirt meaning a short period, only possibly connected with the gushing verb.

In context

Herm Gailey: A Lifetime with Horses3:37
every time you kick your horse they spurt forward and then sink back
Scenes from a Clinic: Helping a Horse Who Refuses to Lope - Episode 17 (Herm Gailey)

More examples

  • Juice spurts from the orange as I squeeze it.
  • The faucet releases water in short spurts.
  • Hot coffee spurted through the loose lid.

Forms

spurt · spurts · spurted · spurting

Similar words

gush
Suggests a larger flow that may last longer.
squirt
Emphasizes a narrow stream forced through a small opening.