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
Magnificent Trees Our region is often defined by its abundance of trees, including sprawling live oaks, confetti-throwing crepe myrtles, spring-blooming dogwoods, sky-high longleaf pines, and waxy-leafed magnolias. Betsy Cribb Watson, Southern Living, 5 Feb. 2025 Anderson will be seen this year on the big screen with Tron: Ares, which will hit Oct. 10, and is part of the sprawling cast of The Abandons, a Kurt Sutter Western series at Netflix. Borys Kit, The Hollywood Reporter, 5 Feb. 2025
Noun
The ranches and pastures that once offered respite to suburban sprawl are now succumbing to it. Jaime Moore-Carrillo, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 6 Feb. 2025 That happens sometimes on this part of Waterman Road, a two-lane drive leading from the Elk Grove sprawl to this rural section of Sacramento County. Ryan Lillis, Sacramento Bee, 17 Jan. 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

Dictionary Entries Near sprawl

Cite this Entry

“Sprawl.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sprawl. Accessed 16 Feb. 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
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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