sprawl

1 of 2

verb

ˈsprȯl 

sprawled; sprawling; sprawls

intransitive verb

1

: to lie or sit with arms and legs spread out

2

: to spread or develop irregularly or without restraint

bushes sprawling along the road

sprawling suburbs

a sprawling narrative

3

a

: to creep or clamber awkwardly

b

archaic : to lie thrashing or tossing about

transitive verb

: to cause to spread out carelessly or awkwardly

sprawled out her books on the table

sprawl

2 of 2

noun

1

: an irregularly spread or scattered group or mass

2

: urban sprawl

3

: the act, posture, or condition of sprawling

Examples of sprawl in a Sentence

Verb

The kids sprawled on the floor to watch TV.

She tripped and went sprawling into the table.

The city sprawls along the coastline.

The bushes were sprawling along the road.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Step off London’s bustling Berkeley Street and into a reception entrance where you are immediately shielded under a living, breathing chandelier — or rather, a sprawling dome canopy of rainforest moss. —Stacey Wreathall and Dafydd Gwyon, Travel + Leisure, 15 May 2024

There are more than 400 city parking lots in sprawling San Diego, from Rancho Bernardo and Carmel Valley in the north to Otay Mesa and San Ysidro in the south. —David Garrick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 May 2024

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English, from Old English sprēawlian

First Known Use

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 3b

Noun

1598, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Phrases Containing sprawl

• urban sprawl

Kids Definition

sprawl

verb

ˈsprȯl

1

: to lie or sit with arms and legs spread out

sprawled on the couch watching TV

2

: to spread out in an uneven or awkward way

a sprawling city

sprawl noun