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
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
Andres Viglucci, Miami Herald, 22 Jan. 2025
These ingredients — in addition to the city’s sprawl, which pushes outskirt neighborhoods into fire-prone wildlands — set the stage for immense destruction.
—Laura Paddison, CNN, 21 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for sprawl 
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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
Miami-Dade transit officials say Upland Park will give people in fast-growing west Miami-Dade an option that’s been lacking amid overwhelming suburban sprawl — the ability to live in a compact neighborhood with shopping, transit, recreation and even work at their doorstep.
—Andres Viglucci, Miami Herald, 22 Jan. 2025
These ingredients — in addition to the city’s sprawl, which pushes outskirt neighborhoods into fire-prone wildlands — set the stage for immense destruction.
—Laura Paddison, CNN, 21 Jan. 2025
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 9 Feb. 2025.
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