1
as in extending
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 sitting
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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of sprawling
There are a number of other issues with Crucible balance that have been introduced with the sprawling final update, but again, outside of what can be finished by the next patch, likely out next week, Bungie simply cannot do it.
—
Paul Tassi,
Forbes.com,
2 July 2026
These sprawling facilities devour an enormous amount of power, require heaps of water to keep cool, and generate tons of noise, on top of being an eyesore that requires hundreds of acres of land be flattened.
—
Frank Landymore,
Futurism,
2 July 2026
But police say the ranger approaching the car would ultimately lead to a sprawling investigation involving drugs, guns, mysterious chemicals, a missing woman and local and federal investigators turning a Philadelphia home inside out.
—
Danny Freeman,
CNN Money,
1 July 2026
Yet Francis Ford Coppola's original sprawling gangster epic is undeniable.
—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
1 July 2026
Enter Peskesi and the dozens of regenerative and natural wineries scattered across the southwest of Crete near quiet, picturesque Chania, which form its wine trail, a range from medieval-palace tasting rooms to sprawling vineyard operations.
—
Shannon McMahon,
Condé Nast Traveler,
1 July 2026
This sprawling area of hot air will soon move eastward and spend Thursday to Saturday squarely over the Mid-Atlantic, sending temperatures toward 105 degrees there, and breaking records from Florida to Maine.
—
Ben Noll,
Washington Post,
1 July 2026
In hole-in-the-wall restaurants and sprawling football stadiums.
—
Juliana Kim,
NPR,
1 July 2026
During the late 1980s and early 1990s, the sprawling complex just north of Kingston housed as many as 77 stores and businesses, including Kmart, JCPenney, Sears, and a bustling food court.
—
Lisa Wong MacAbasco,
Vogue,
27 June 2026
Paul Tassi,
Forbes.com,
2 July 2026
These sprawling facilities devour an enormous amount of power, require heaps of water to keep cool, and generate tons of noise, on top of being an eyesore that requires hundreds of acres of land be flattened.
—
Frank Landymore,
Futurism,
2 July 2026
But police say the ranger approaching the car would ultimately lead to a sprawling investigation involving drugs, guns, mysterious chemicals, a missing woman and local and federal investigators turning a Philadelphia home inside out.
—
Danny Freeman,
CNN Money,
1 July 2026
Yet Francis Ford Coppola's original sprawling gangster epic is undeniable.
—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
1 July 2026
Enter Peskesi and the dozens of regenerative and natural wineries scattered across the southwest of Crete near quiet, picturesque Chania, which form its wine trail, a range from medieval-palace tasting rooms to sprawling vineyard operations.
—
Shannon McMahon,
Condé Nast Traveler,
1 July 2026
This sprawling area of hot air will soon move eastward and spend Thursday to Saturday squarely over the Mid-Atlantic, sending temperatures toward 105 degrees there, and breaking records from Florida to Maine.
—
Ben Noll,
Washington Post,
1 July 2026
In hole-in-the-wall restaurants and sprawling football stadiums.
—
Juliana Kim,
NPR,
1 July 2026
During the late 1980s and early 1990s, the sprawling complex just north of Kingston housed as many as 77 stores and businesses, including Kmart, JCPenney, Sears, and a bustling food court.
—
Lisa Wong MacAbasco,
Vogue,
27 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sprawling
Verb
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Gilles Pélisson has been unanimously reelected as president of Unifrance for a second three-year term, extending his mandate at the helm of the French film and TV promotion body.
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Advertisements extending beyond traditional commercial breaks to include live presenter endorsements and real-time odds promotions have sparked a fresh wave of indignation, with politicians across the political spectrum calling for tighter controls.
Verb
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Trump had campaigned on restricting birthright citizenship, arguing that the citizenship clause had been misinterpreted, and attended the April 2026 oral arguments in a first for a sitting president.
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Team mentality spurs decisions The A’s were sitting at 40-44 heading into Tuesday, three games out of the American League West lead and 2 1/2 games out of the final AL Wild Card spot.
Verb
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Different regions, given their diverging strengths and interests, face different challenges.
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Amid the government’s heated rhetoric, our data shows public opinion on immigration in one of the country’s reddest agricultural states is diverging from national politics and may even be at odds with federal policy.
Verb
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Brown has talked trash about Sixers center Joel Embiid and has accused him of flopping.
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Video shows Neil flopping his blubbery body around on the street, destroying fences and cuddling with traffic cones.
Verb
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Your 12th House of Rest and Reflection opens wider as Jupiter arrives, expanding your inner world and asking for generous rest that renews focus.
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This diverse, global podcast journalism is vital for informing creators, advertisers, and the expanding audience, reflecting podcasting's evolving identity and widespread appeal.
Verb
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The primary to represent the upstate New York district, which stretches from the Canadian border to straddling the northern Albany suburbs, became increasingly bitter as Constantino and Smullen threatened legal action against each other over claims made during the campaign.
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The show struggles with tonal consistency, too, awkwardly straddling the genres of revenge epic, dark comedy and domestic drama.
Verb
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When P-waves start radiating from the earthquake underground, Android phones sense the vibrations, start collecting data and send it back to Google servers for processing.
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Attics get hot because roofs are exposed to the sun for hours, radiating heat inside.
Verb
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This can be avoided by squatting, stretching and loosening up your joints before jumping.
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Mahayahay Elementary School, located in the province of Davao Occidental, shared footage on social media showing frightened students squatting on the ground and then scurrying away when a canopy roof collapsed during the quake.
Cite this Entry
“Sprawling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sprawling. Accessed 6 Jul. 2026.
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