1
as in extended
to extend outwards from or as if from a central point
The suburbs sprawl for miles beyond the city's downtown.
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2
as in sat
to rest with the arms and legs spread out
There's no feeling like sprawling out on your bed after a hard day's work.
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Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of sprawled
Two minutes later, Brown drove for a hard-charging layup that left Chet Holmgren sprawled on the parquet beneath the basket.
—
Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 26 Mar. 2026
Friends are sprawled out on the couch, or coming in and out of the room to show off their outfits, or sneaking mimosas into coffee cups.
—Jazmine Hughes, Allure, 24 Mar. 2026
With the dead and the wounded sprawled around them, the mocambos gulped the wine from the sacramental chalice.
—Literary Hub, 19 Mar. 2026
There are still plenty of wildlife sightings from the canal, gators sprawled out across the limestone and countless eyes peek out of the tea-colored water.
—Ashley Miznazi, Miami Herald, 16 Mar. 2026
Early in the second period, just after Greaves got caught out of the net while playing a puck to his right, Provorov hustled to the other side of the net and sprawled across the ice, blocking a shot by Florida’s Tomas Nosek that would have tied the score at 1.
—Aaron Portzline, New York Times, 6 Mar. 2026
In the flick, Sly was sprawled out on his stomach, stretching toward the window to catch a better view of the iconic structure.
—Elle Meier, InStyle, 5 Mar. 2026
From the 1950s until the 1980s, San Jose sprawled in all directions.
—Paul Rogers, Mercury News, 3 Mar. 2026
From orbit, the intersecting ridges resemble a massive spiderweb sprawled across the Martian surface.
—Samantha Mathewson, Space.com, 27 Feb. 2026
Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 26 Mar. 2026
Friends are sprawled out on the couch, or coming in and out of the room to show off their outfits, or sneaking mimosas into coffee cups.
—Jazmine Hughes, Allure, 24 Mar. 2026
With the dead and the wounded sprawled around them, the mocambos gulped the wine from the sacramental chalice.
—Literary Hub, 19 Mar. 2026
There are still plenty of wildlife sightings from the canal, gators sprawled out across the limestone and countless eyes peek out of the tea-colored water.
—Ashley Miznazi, Miami Herald, 16 Mar. 2026
Early in the second period, just after Greaves got caught out of the net while playing a puck to his right, Provorov hustled to the other side of the net and sprawled across the ice, blocking a shot by Florida’s Tomas Nosek that would have tied the score at 1.
—Aaron Portzline, New York Times, 6 Mar. 2026
In the flick, Sly was sprawled out on his stomach, stretching toward the window to catch a better view of the iconic structure.
—Elle Meier, InStyle, 5 Mar. 2026
From the 1950s until the 1980s, San Jose sprawled in all directions.
—Paul Rogers, Mercury News, 3 Mar. 2026
From orbit, the intersecting ridges resemble a massive spiderweb sprawled across the Martian surface.
—Samantha Mathewson, Space.com, 27 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sprawled
Verb
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In the ’90s and 2000s, under Senegalese presidents Abdou Diouf and Abdoulaye Wade, who extended Leopold Senghor’s vision of art as statecraft, Dak’Art benefited from government backing not just as a matter of policy but because these presidents understood that culture mattered.—
Smooth Nzewi,
Artforum,
2 Apr. 2026
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Baylor extended its lead to 48-27 during the second half, fueled by a 17-1 scoring run.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Levi Jones, a 33-year-old business owner, pulled up to Sacred Eye Tattoos in Hollywood last week and sat for eight hours getting a photorealistic black-and-white portrait of Mangione on his leg.—
Amanda Rosa,
Orlando Sentinel,
24 Dec. 2024
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The birthday boy and his big sister Sterling Skye, 3, each sat between one of their parents’ laps.—
Angel Saunders,
People.com,
24 Dec. 2024
Verb
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Eastern and western ancestries in Karelian Mesolithic dogs suggest that two lineages diverged during the Paleolithic.—
Maria Mocerino,
Interesting Engineering,
30 Mar. 2026
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Giuseppe Cacace | Afp | Getty Images Markets across the Gulf region have diverged sharply since the Middle East conflict began, as investors traverse big swings in energy prices and markets remain rattled by geopolitical turmoil.—
Hugh Leask,
CNBC,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
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After beating Atlanta last Friday without Jaylen Brown and Charlotte on Sunday without Brown and Derrick White, Boston flopped in a rematch with the Hawks, losing 112-102 without a crew of contributors headlined by a resting Jayson Tatum.—
Zack Cox,
Boston Herald,
31 Mar. 2026
-
But that effort has flopped, because the SAVE America Act doesn't have the votes to pass in the Senate.—
Chris Brennan,
USA Today,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Quinn struck out 11, walked five and scattered four hits for her third win of the season.—
Rick Armstrong,
Chicago Tribune,
31 Mar. 2026
-
More than a dozen robots and creatures are scattered on a pink carpet.—
Zachary Fine,
New Yorker,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Nearby, people and their dogs who had moved into the shelter for the duration of the war lounged on air mattresses, scrolling through their phones.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
2 Mar. 2026
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Just days after hard-launching her relationship with French filmmaker Romain Gavras, EmRata lounged in a plunging plush white robe while wearing nothing but some sparkling loud luxury accessories.—
Lara Walsh,
InStyle,
25 Feb. 2026
Verb
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In the Project Hail Mary universe, all life in our solar system’s sector of the Milky Way comes from an ancient ancestor of Astrophage that long ago radiated out from Tau Ceti, Weir says.—
Emma Gometz,
Scientific American,
20 Mar. 2026
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Those words — simple, dignified, and private — feel fitting for a man whose on-screen persona radiated quiet strength and unwavering principle.—
Hanna Wickes,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
20 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Her wedge of baked Alaska slouched on the plate like a children’s book illustration meant to convey sadness.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
2 Mar. 2026
-
Silk pajama pants slouched over Wales Bonner loafers.—
Tyler Matthew Oyer
Feb. 27,
Los Angeles Times,
27 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Sprawled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sprawled. Accessed 4 Apr. 2026.
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