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
Ethan Varian, The Mercury News, 26 Mar. 2025
The sprawling investigation into Hutchins’ accidental shooting death and the high-profile trials of Baldwin and armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed went on to claim the spotlight in news coverage of Rust, which is now headed to a commercial release.
—Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 26 Mar. 2025
Riley Robinson, The Christian Science Monitor, 20 Mar. 2025
This is Everglades cattle country, with miles upon miles of slash pines and flat scrubland, pristine and still untouched by developers just 35 miles from Palm Beach County’s suburban sprawl.
—Phillip Valys, Sun Sentinel, 15 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sprawl
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Verb
The city set up the sites after officials cleared a massive nearby encampment along Wood Street in West Oakland, which at its peak had more than 300 people in tents, vehicles and makeshift dwellings sprawled across multiple city blocks.
—Ethan Varian, The Mercury News, 26 Mar. 2025
The sprawling investigation into Hutchins’ accidental shooting death and the high-profile trials of Baldwin and armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed went on to claim the spotlight in news coverage of Rust, which is now headed to a commercial release.
—Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 26 Mar. 2025
Noun
But there was a revolution taking place under that tan-and-gray suburban sprawl.
—Riley Robinson, The Christian Science Monitor, 20 Mar. 2025
This is Everglades cattle country, with miles upon miles of slash pines and flat scrubland, pristine and still untouched by developers just 35 miles from Palm Beach County’s suburban sprawl.
—Phillip Valys, Sun Sentinel, 15 Mar. 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 2 Apr. 2025.
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