sprawl

verb \ ˈsprȯl \

|Updated on: 16 Jun 2018

Examples: sprawl in a Sentence

Definition of sprawl

sprawled; sprawling; sprawls

intransitive verb

1 a archaic : to lie thrashing or tossing about

b : to creep or clamber awkwardly

2 : to lie or sit with arms and legs spread out

3 : to spread or develop irregularly or without restraint

bushes sprawling along the road

sprawling suburbs

a sprawling narrative

transitive verb

: to cause to spread out carelessly or awkwardly

sprawled out her books on the table

See sprawl defined for English-language learners

See sprawl defined for kids

Examples of sprawl in a Sentence

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 of sprawl from the Web

Art Castro of the LA Department of Water and Power stands atop his city's future: the San Fernando aquifer, which sprawls for 175 square miles.

— matt simon, WIRED, "LA Is Doing Water Better Than Your City. Yes, That LA," 12 June 2018
Delivering any sort of blow to Pyongyang’s sprawling missile and nuclear weapon infrastructure will take a herculean, years-long effort — the likes of which have never been seen before.

— w.j. hennigan, Time, "President Trump Wants North Korea to Give Up Nuclear Weapons. Here's Just How Hard That Would Be," 11 June 2018
Quint Gallery, one the premier venues for contemporary art, is an excellent example of this sprawling philosophy.

— g. james daichendt, sandiegouniontribune.com, "5 must-see San Diego visual arts experiences," 10 June 2018
Her sprawling turquoise and orange backdrop is adorned with boxes and circles that resemble old records.

— john monaghan, Detroit Free Press, "Review: Meadow Brook's 'Burt & Me' has great songs but a stale story," 7 June 2018
This year's tour features 13 farms and other stops sprawled throughout the southern end of the county including the 60 raised garden beds at the Campbell County Detention Center.

— melissa reinert, Cincinnati.com, "NKY shows off its agricultural side: Guide to the farm tours," 7 June 2018
As has been borne out in nearly four decades of songs, more than 20 of them top 40 hits on the Billboard Hot 100, the lexicon of his story telling is that of the farmer, the small town purveyor, the boundless spaces sprawled between the headlines.

— cathy applefeld olson, Billboard, "John Mellencamp Talks Taking a Knee During 'Colbert' Performance," 6 June 2018
Texas’s sprawling 23d District, which stretches from the western reaches of San Antonio to El Paso, has the reputation as one of America’s premier swing districts given its nearly even partisan breakdown.

— bill lambrecht, San Antonio Express-News, "Ortiz Jones to face Hurd in S.A. congressional district," 22 May 2018
More than anything, Kevin and Beth Field’s sprawling Strathmere beach house — on the site of the old Bayview Motel — is about family.

— terri akman, Philly.com, "Old Bayview Motel in Strathmere transformed into family compound," 22 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'sprawl.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.