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
The Enquirer, 9 Apr. 2024
Vinca grows low to the ground, usually only up to 6 inches in height, but has a sprawling quality extending 1 to 2 feet.
—Steve Bender, Southern Living, 9 Apr. 2024
Along the way, Kay will explore bustling cities and cantinas, race across sprawling outdoor landscapes on her speeder, and pilot her ship the Trailblazer through the wilds of space.
—Todd Spangler, Variety, 9 Apr. 2024
These are the best cold plunge tubs for any size space, sprawling mansion or cozy apartment, and for any size person.
—Sean Evans, Robb Report, 9 Apr. 2024
In a separate area of the sprawling mosque, Jack was playing in a quiet room while being watched over by volunteers with MUHSEN.
—Jose R. Gonzalez, The Arizona Republic, 8 Apr. 2024
But the Internet Archive provided the software to organize the sprawling collection, including algorithms to decipher handwriting to turn centuries-old penmanship into digital text ready for modern readers.
—Kate Knibbs, WIRED, 8 Apr. 2024
Featuring collaborations with country pioneers Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson, and Linda Martell, contemporary country crossover stars Miley Cyrus and Post Malone, and a host of upcoming Black country artists, Beyoncé's sprawling Cowboy Carter has been met with both praise and criticism.
—Lester Fabian Brathwaite, EW.com, 8 Apr. 2024
The couple, who became romantically linked for the first time in early 2022, tied the knot at a ceremony and reception held at a sprawling estate in North East England.
—Sadie Bell, Peoplemag, 8 Apr. 2024
Steve Bender, Southern Living, 9 Apr. 2024
The Midtown Farmers Market runs year-round from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturdays and sprawls over five blocks.
—Amber Turpin, The Mercury News, 1 Apr. 2024
In the sprawl beyond Bengaluru’s core, where dreams of tech riches usually grow, schools lack water to flush toilets.
—Damien Cave Atul Loke, New York Times, 31 Mar. 2024
That happens sometimes on this part of Waterman Road, a two-lane drive leading from the Elk Grove sprawl to this rural section of Sacramento County.
—Ryan Lillis, Sacramento Bee, 29 Mar. 2024
In fact, it might be said the path to statewide political success no longer runs through the hillsides of San Francisco, the flats of Oakland or the sprawl of Silicon Valley.
—Mark Z. Barabak, Los Angeles Times, 14 Mar. 2024
Fairmont Mount Kenya Safari Club, Nanyuki, Kenya On the slopes of towering Mount Kenya, this elegant hotel sprawls across 100 acres within the Mount Kenya Wildlife Conservancy.
—Jennifer Kester, Forbes, 23 Feb. 2024
Oftentimes, organizations are unable to remove privileges even as users move to different departments, causing permissions sprawl.
—Atul Tulshibagwale, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024
But this couple had moved from the Norfolk area where the cost of farmland had become prohibitive due to uncontrolled suburban sprawl.
—TIME, 6 Feb. 2024
Verb
The sprawling dining room – with its surf shack-meets-1980s-roadhouse vibe – seems to go on forever, housing as many tables as a German beer hall and three full-service bars.
—The Enquirer, 9 Apr. 2024
Vinca grows low to the ground, usually only up to 6 inches in height, but has a sprawling quality extending 1 to 2 feet.
—Steve Bender, Southern Living, 9 Apr. 2024
Along the way, Kay will explore bustling cities and cantinas, race across sprawling outdoor landscapes on her speeder, and pilot her ship the Trailblazer through the wilds of space.
—Todd Spangler, Variety, 9 Apr. 2024
These are the best cold plunge tubs for any size space, sprawling mansion or cozy apartment, and for any size person.
—Sean Evans, Robb Report, 9 Apr. 2024
In a separate area of the sprawling mosque, Jack was playing in a quiet room while being watched over by volunteers with MUHSEN.
—Jose R. Gonzalez, The Arizona Republic, 8 Apr. 2024
But the Internet Archive provided the software to organize the sprawling collection, including algorithms to decipher handwriting to turn centuries-old penmanship into digital text ready for modern readers.
—Kate Knibbs, WIRED, 8 Apr. 2024
Featuring collaborations with country pioneers Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson, and Linda Martell, contemporary country crossover stars Miley Cyrus and Post Malone, and a host of upcoming Black country artists, Beyoncé's sprawling Cowboy Carter has been met with both praise and criticism.
—Lester Fabian Brathwaite, EW.com, 8 Apr. 2024
The couple, who became romantically linked for the first time in early 2022, tied the knot at a ceremony and reception held at a sprawling estate in North East England.
—Sadie Bell, Peoplemag, 8 Apr. 2024
Noun
Use the 2-inch-tall plants to fill gaps between stepping stones, line borders, or sprawl over rock walls.
—Steve Bender, Southern Living, 9 Apr. 2024
The Midtown Farmers Market runs year-round from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturdays and sprawls over five blocks.
—Amber Turpin, The Mercury News, 1 Apr. 2024
In the sprawl beyond Bengaluru’s core, where dreams of tech riches usually grow, schools lack water to flush toilets.
—Damien Cave Atul Loke, New York Times, 31 Mar. 2024
That happens sometimes on this part of Waterman Road, a two-lane drive leading from the Elk Grove sprawl to this rural section of Sacramento County.
—Ryan Lillis, Sacramento Bee, 29 Mar. 2024
In fact, it might be said the path to statewide political success no longer runs through the hillsides of San Francisco, the flats of Oakland or the sprawl of Silicon Valley.
—Mark Z. Barabak, Los Angeles Times, 14 Mar. 2024
Fairmont Mount Kenya Safari Club, Nanyuki, Kenya On the slopes of towering Mount Kenya, this elegant hotel sprawls across 100 acres within the Mount Kenya Wildlife Conservancy.
—Jennifer Kester, Forbes, 23 Feb. 2024
Oftentimes, organizations are unable to remove privileges even as users move to different departments, causing permissions sprawl.
—Atul Tulshibagwale, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024
But this couple had moved from the Norfolk area where the cost of farmland had become prohibitive due to uncontrolled suburban sprawl.
—TIME, 6 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'sprawl.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near sprawl
Cite this Entry
“Sprawl.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sprawl. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
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