spring (up)on someone, something, or an animal

spring (up)on someone, something, or an animal
spring (up)on someone, something, or an animal
to jump on someone, something, or an animal; to pounce on someone, something, or an animal. (

Upon

is formal and less commonly used than

on

.) •

The lion sprang upon him and knocked him down.

The cat sprang on the mouse and captured it.


Dictionary of American idioms. 2013.

Игры ⚽ Нужна курсовая?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • spring — spring1 [ sprıŋ ] noun *** 1. ) count or uncount the season of the year between winter and summer: early/late spring last/this/next spring in (the) spring: In spring the garden is a feast of blossoms. a ) only before noun happening in spring or… …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • spring — spring1 W2S2 [sprıŋ] n ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ 1¦(season)¦ 2¦(curved metal)¦ 3¦(water)¦ 4 spring in your step 5 full of the joys of spring 6¦(sudden jump)¦ ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ 1.) ¦(SEASON)¦ [U and C] the season between winter and summer when leaves and flowers appear …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • Animal rights — advocates propose that animals be viewed as persons, not property.[1] Description Animals are members of the moral community …   Wikipedia

  • spring — 1 /sprIN/ noun 1 SEASON (C, U) the season between winter and summer when leaves and flowers appear: It was a cold, sunny day in early spring | the spring of 1933 | spring flowers 2 BED/CARS ETC a) (countable usually plural) something, usually a… …   Longman dictionary of contemporary English

  • Animal Liberation Front — For other uses of the term ALF , see ALF (disambiguation). The Animal Liberation Front (ALF) is a name used internationally by animal liberation activists who engage in direct action on behalf of animals. This includes removing animals from… …   Wikipedia

  • spring — [[t]sprɪ̱ŋ[/t]] ♦♦ springs, springing, sprang, sprung 1) N VAR Spring is the season between winter and summer when the weather becomes warmer and plants start to grow again. The Labor government of Western Australia has an election due next… …   English dictionary

  • go — go1 [ gou ] (past tense went [ went ] ; past participle gone [ gɔn ] ) verb *** ▸ 1 move/travel ▸ 2 travel to activity ▸ 3 continue to place/time ▸ 4 happen ▸ 5 be kept somewhere/fit ▸ 6 change to/be in state ▸ 7 get worse/stop working ▸ 8 die ▸… …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • come — come1 [ kʌm ] (past tense came [ keım ] ; past participle come) verb *** ▸ 1 move/travel (to here) ▸ 2 reach particular state ▸ 3 start doing something ▸ 4 reach particular point ▸ 5 be received ▸ 6 happen ▸ 7 exist or be produced ▸ 8 be… …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • stick — stick1 [ stık ] (past tense and past participle stuck [ stʌk ] ) verb *** ▸ 1 attach something to something ▸ 2 put quickly & carelessly ▸ 3 push something long into something ▸ 4 become difficult to move ▸ 5 when name is accepted ▸ 6 in card… …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • attack — at|tack1 [ ə tæk ] noun *** 1. ) count a violent attempt to harm a person, animal, or place: a vicious attack attack on: measures to reduce the number of sexual attacks on young women a ) count or uncount an organized attempt to defeat an enemy,… …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • attack */*/*/ — I UK [əˈtæk] / US verb Word forms attack : present tense I/you/we/they attack he/she/it attacks present participle attacking past tense attacked past participle attacked 1) a) [intransitive/transitive] to use violence to harm a person, animal, or …   English dictionary

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”