sprawl

1 of 2

verb

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
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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Verb
The sequence started with a remarkable play by defenseman Seth Jones, who reached with his stick while sprawling to prevent the puck from crossing the blue line and leaving the Toronto zone. Miami Herald, 14 Mar. 2025 Where Whole Lotta Red felt focused in its brazen, punk-imbued approach, Music sprawls with classic Atlanta rap, industrial synths, and electropop. Olivier Lafontant, Pitchfork, 14 Mar. 2025
Noun
Also underway is a 3.9 square mile (10 sq km) floating structure, designed to minimize coastline sprawl and to utilize deep water technologies. New Atlas, 1 Mar. 2025 Copilot sprawl has become so pronounced that consulting firms now offer services to manage this problem. Abhi Maheshwari, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for sprawl

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of sprawl was before the 12th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Sprawl.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sprawl. Accessed 18 Mar. 2025.

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

More from Merriam-Webster on sprawl

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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