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urban sprawl
noun
: the spreading of urban developments (such as houses and shopping centers) on undeveloped land near a city
Examples of urban sprawl in a Sentence
efforts to stop urban sprawl
Recent Examples on the Web
In San Diego on Thursday, agents focused on an area of deceptively treacherous mountain trails with expansive views of Tijuana, Mexico, its urban sprawl and industrial warehouses in San Diego.
—Eugene Garcia, Chicago Tribune, 25 Jan. 2025
Many celebrities live in the area, mixing with longtime-resident hippies and people who have fled the urban sprawl of downtown Los Angeles.
—Trevor Hughes, USA TODAY, 13 Jan. 2025
Carved into the edge of Pittsburgh’s urban sprawl—just fifteen minutes from downtown—this free outdoor bouldering gym was designed with an ambitious vision: to bring outdoor adventure to all.
—Ryleigh Norgrove, Outside Online, 8 Dec. 2024
That’s the way much of California was built, long before politicians like state Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, successfully campaigned to make urban sprawl political anathema.
—Thomas Elias, The Mercury News, 25 Oct. 2024
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Word History
First Known Use
1934, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near urban sprawl
Cite this Entry
“Urban sprawl.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/urban%20sprawl. Accessed 3 Feb. 2025.
Kids Definition
urban sprawl
noun
: the spreading of urban structures into areas surrounding a city
More from Merriam-Webster on urban sprawl
Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for urban sprawl
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