sprawled; sprawling; sprawls
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
: to cause to spread out carelessly or awkwardly
sprawled out her books on the table
1
: an irregularly spread or scattered group or mass
2
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
Fran Ruiz, Space.com, 2 Sep. 2025
Fordyce Bathhouse opened in 1915 as the grandest of them all with its ornate facade, panes of stained glass, white marble staircases, sunny sitting rooms, and sprawling square footage.
—Caroline Rogers, Southern Living, 2 Sep. 2025
Lauren Mowery, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
Other factors have also played a role in contaminating beaches, including increasingly severe weather that overwhelms sewage systems, and suburban sprawl that paves over natural areas and reduces the ecosystem’s ability to absorb stormwater, Rumpler said.
—Preston Fore, Fortune, 30 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sprawl
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Verb
On top of being a fantastic collectible card game that's always refreshing its mechanics, the dense multiverse-building and sprawling lore, the cards themselves are traditionally gorgeous to look at.
—Fran Ruiz, Space.com, 2 Sep. 2025
Fordyce Bathhouse opened in 1915 as the grandest of them all with its ornate facade, panes of stained glass, white marble staircases, sunny sitting rooms, and sprawling square footage.
—Caroline Rogers, Southern Living, 2 Sep. 2025
Noun
Some sprawl on sofas with laptops open, while others linger over gin and tonics.
—Lauren Mowery, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
Other factors have also played a role in contaminating beaches, including increasingly severe weather that overwhelms sewage systems, and suburban sprawl that paves over natural areas and reduces the ecosystem’s ability to absorb stormwater, Rumpler said.
—Preston Fore, Fortune, 30 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sprawl
Cite this Entry
“Sprawl.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sprawl. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
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