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
Kaelan Deese, The Washington Examiner, 19 Mar. 2026
The festivals take place at Meadow Creek, a sprawling 277-acre plot of land featuring a pond, creek access and mountain views.
—Tiney Ricciardi, Denver Post, 19 Mar. 2026
Natalia Sánchez Loayza, Scientific American, 13 Mar. 2026
This Dickensian narrative sprawl allows Mendonça Filho to render his villains in the same Technicolor.
—Michael Snyder, The Atlantic, 13 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for sprawl
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Verb
The committee is scheduled to hold additional interviews in its sprawling Epstein investigation on Thursday, including the deposition of his former attorney, Darren Indyke.
—Kaelan Deese, The Washington Examiner, 19 Mar. 2026
The festivals take place at Meadow Creek, a sprawling 277-acre plot of land featuring a pond, creek access and mountain views.
—Tiney Ricciardi, Denver Post, 19 Mar. 2026
Noun
Nowhere in the vestiges of what was once the sprawl of corporate hugeness known as The General Electric Company are there signs that Katharine Blodgett's laboratory notebooks still exist.
—Natalia Sánchez Loayza, Scientific American, 13 Mar. 2026
This Dickensian narrative sprawl allows Mendonça Filho to render his villains in the same Technicolor.
—Michael Snyder, The Atlantic, 13 Mar. 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 21 Mar. 2026.
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