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
Anna Halkidis, Parents, 19 Apr. 2025
Three distinct figures sprawl across a seven-foot-wide, four-foot-tall landscape canvas, the man in the center and the woman on the right represent Jean-Michel Basquiat’s parents, Gerard and Matilda.
—Natasha Gural, Forbes.com, 18 Apr. 2025
Dan Hauck, Forbes.com, 17 Apr. 2025
In the end, the finale may not have entirely redeemed some pacing issues and unwieldy sprawl, but ended strongly enough to make both seem minor in retrospect.
—Alison Herman, Variety, 7 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sprawl
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Verb
This immersive experience features more than a dozen interactive and unique exhibits sprawled out in different rooms that are truly fun and memorable.
—Anna Halkidis, Parents, 19 Apr. 2025
Three distinct figures sprawl across a seven-foot-wide, four-foot-tall landscape canvas, the man in the center and the woman on the right represent Jean-Michel Basquiat’s parents, Gerard and Matilda.
—Natasha Gural, Forbes.com, 18 Apr. 2025
Noun
As well as improving the productivity of legal teams, reducing the scope and sprawl of the firm’s IT landscape makes life easier for firms and legal departments that only have a small IT team.
—Dan Hauck, Forbes.com, 17 Apr. 2025
In the end, the finale may not have entirely redeemed some pacing issues and unwieldy sprawl, but ended strongly enough to make both seem minor in retrospect.
—Alison Herman, Variety, 7 Apr. 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 3 May. 2025.
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