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
a sprawl of stores and restaurants
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
Miami Herald, 11 Nov. 2025
The investment is central to several sprawling AI initiatives.
—Dave Smith, Fortune, 11 Nov. 2025
Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 6 Nov. 2025
Below, the city lights of Rio sprawl out, giving way to a view of Guanabara Bay in the distance.
—Aaron Randolph, Travel + Leisure, 5 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sprawl
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Verb
Inside one of the school’s six sprawling buildings just north of downtown Miami, students in uniforms hold stethoscopes to each other’s chests, practicing checking a heartbeat.
—Miami Herald, 11 Nov. 2025
The investment is central to several sprawling AI initiatives.
—Dave Smith, Fortune, 11 Nov. 2025
Noun
The 20 or so of us move chairs, tear up cushions, rifle through her sprawl of belongings on the ground.
—Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 6 Nov. 2025
Below, the city lights of Rio sprawl out, giving way to a view of Guanabara Bay in the distance.
—Aaron Randolph, Travel + Leisure, 5 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sprawl
Cite this Entry
“Sprawl.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sprawl. Accessed 17 Nov. 2025.
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