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
Zachary Hansen,
AJC.com,
6 July 2026
The show seems afraid to focus, to give us strong A plots, and spreads out everything and this sprawling cast of characters across each episode as evenly as possible.
—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
5 July 2026
Priyanka Mattoo,
Condé Nast Traveler,
2 July 2026
Scaling from single applications to many across hybrid multicloud environments introduces model sprawl, data management issues, and a specialized skills deficit.
—
Sam Rastogi,
Forbes.com,
1 July 2026
See All Example Sentences for sprawl
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Verb
For many steps in the process at Hyundai’s sprawling Georgia auto factory, vehicles take shape without a person in sight.
—
Zachary Hansen,
AJC.com,
6 July 2026
The show seems afraid to focus, to give us strong A plots, and spreads out everything and this sprawling cast of characters across each episode as evenly as possible.
—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
5 July 2026
Noun
Below me lie a sprawl of rust and ochre hillocks, undulating all the way to the horizon.
—
Priyanka Mattoo,
Condé Nast Traveler,
2 July 2026
Scaling from single applications to many across hybrid multicloud environments introduces model sprawl, data management issues, and a specialized skills deficit.
—
Sam Rastogi,
Forbes.com,
1 July 2026
See All Example Sentences for sprawl
Cite this Entry
“Sprawl.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sprawl. Accessed 6 Jul. 2026.
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