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
ABC News, 17 Apr. 2026
In the sprawling space, employees work on assembling and testing hardware, including container-sized batteries and their autonomous controllers.
—Los Angeles Times, 16 Apr. 2026
Julissa James, Los Angeles Times, 17 Apr. 2026
But Cuyahoga Valley preserves a pocket of wilderness just beyond the sprawl of Cleveland and Akron.
—Julia Sayers Gokhale, Midwest Living, 17 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for sprawl
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Verb
Their bilateral meeting will be prelude for the following day’s double dose of gatherings when Lula and Sánchez confer with other leaders at two events inside a sprawling conference center in Spain’s second city.
—ABC News, 17 Apr. 2026
In the sprawling space, employees work on assembling and testing hardware, including container-sized batteries and their autonomous controllers.
—Los Angeles Times, 16 Apr. 2026
Noun
The Fashion Nova baddie in horizontal sprawl off the Vertigo, for example, is an emblem for those in the know.
—Julissa James, Los Angeles Times, 17 Apr. 2026
But Cuyahoga Valley preserves a pocket of wilderness just beyond the sprawl of Cleveland and Akron.
—Julia Sayers Gokhale, Midwest Living, 17 Apr. 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 19 Apr. 2026.
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