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
Demetrius Simms, Robb Report, 5 Nov. 2024
The sprawling district, its shape marked by four arms jutting out to pick up more territory, was changed during the decennial redistricting process in 2021.
—Kaitlyn Schallhorn, Orange County Register, 5 Nov. 2024
Tom Hals, The Christian Science Monitor, 1 Nov. 2024
Signing a new contract with Warner Bros. Records allowed Petty a big budget to record with Rubin for two years, creating a relaxed sprawl of an album that captures the full range of his songwriting better than any other album.
—Al Shipley, SPIN, 1 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for sprawl 
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Verb
London’s Chelsea Barracks, in the natty Belgravia district, famously housed the British Royal Army for 150 years before it was converted into a sprawling complex of luxury apartments and townhouses.
—Demetrius Simms, Robb Report, 5 Nov. 2024
The sprawling district, its shape marked by four arms jutting out to pick up more territory, was changed during the decennial redistricting process in 2021.
—Kaitlyn Schallhorn, Orange County Register, 5 Nov. 2024
Noun
Tohono O’odham Nation reservation, which has about 10,000 residents according to census data, sprawls across a Connecticut-sized area of the Sonoran Desert with its iconic saguaro cactus and mesquite trees.
—Tom Hals, The Christian Science Monitor, 1 Nov. 2024
Signing a new contract with Warner Bros. Records allowed Petty a big budget to record with Rubin for two years, creating a relaxed sprawl of an album that captures the full range of his songwriting better than any other album.
—Al Shipley, SPIN, 1 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for sprawl
Dictionary Entries Near sprawl
Cite this Entry
“Sprawl.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sprawl. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.
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