sprawl

play

verb \ ˈsprȯl \

Definition of sprawl

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

The immediate focus for many remained on Houston, the country's fourth-largest city and a sprawling metropolitan area that has seen its share of floods.

— Alaska Dispatch News, "Harvey takes aim at Louisiana; at least 9 dead in Texas," 29 Aug. 2017
Take into account that, plus the ever-expanding universe of social media, and most millennials’ social networks may be considered downright sprawling.

— beca grimm, Glamour, "For Millennials, Eloping Is the New Lavish Wedding," 18 Aug. 2017
Guam is home to the sprawling Andersen Air Force Base and the Naval Base Guam.

— krishnadev calamur, The Atlantic, "Why North Korea Is Threatening Guam," 8 Aug. 2017
The free three-day event, now in its 14th year, features an array of food, drink and live entertainment spread across the sprawling village center, 14700 South Ravinia Ave.

— zak koeske, Daily Southtown, "Taste of Orland Park scores with kids and parents alike," 5 Aug. 2017
In addition to a lake and five ponds, the sprawling property contains an eclectic mix of buildings—there are several barns and outbuildings, and even a covered bridge.

— elizabeth finkelstein, Country Living, "Peek Inside the Coziest Log Farmhouse for Sale in Georgia," 27 July 2017
But although Pakistan nominally returned to civilian rule, there was no real oversight over the sprawling military establishment.

— The Economist, "Post-partum depressionSeventy years of Indo-Pakistani enmity," 22 July 2017
The buttresses stay small, but the rest of the root system sprawls out near the surface.

— kenneth setzer, miamiherald, "This regal tree looks like it burst into flames," 20 July 2017
The Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum is a sprawling site covering hundreds of acres.

— megan specia, New York Times, "Israeli Student’s Use of Auschwitz Artifacts in an Art Exhibit Prompts a Furor," 19 July 2017

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.

Origin and Etymology of sprawl

Middle English, from Old English sprēawlian

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

See Words from the same year

sprawl

noun

Definition of sprawl

1 :the act, posture, or condition of sprawling

2 :an irregularly spread or scattered group or mass

3 :urban sprawl

See sprawl defined for English-language learners

Recent Examples of sprawl from the Web

One of the keys to China’s economic rise hitherto has been its success in restricting the sprawl of state firms.

— The Economist, "Reform of China’s ailing state-owned firms is emboldening them," 20 July 2017
In the late 1980s, the city suffered high unemployment, post-industrial vacancy in its port district, and American-style deindustrialization and sprawl.

— john gallagher, Detroit Free Press, "Lessons for Detroit: Copenhagen unlocks value of public land to create public benefits," 1 July 2017
Hundreds of sober homes — some reputable, many of them fraud mills and flop houses for drug users — sprawl across Delray Beach and several surrounding cities.

— lizette alvarez, New York Times, "Haven for Recovering Addicts Now Profits From Their Relapses," 20 June 2017
Admittedly, the first defeat — the announcement on Jan. 12 that Team Spanos is moving its NFL club to the great sprawl to the north — had more fingerprints on it than an old dollar bill.

— tom krasovic, sandiegouniontribune.com, "So far, Faulconer's record on San Diego sports is 0-2," 20 June 2017
There have since been dozens of additional proposals to sprawl in Coyote Valley, most successfully defeated.

— mercury news readers, The Mercury News, "June 18 Letters: San Jose will benefit from protecting Coyote Valley," 18 June 2017
Safari Highlands is opposed by a host of environmental groups that decry the development as urban sprawl and by residents of two nearby communities worried about traffic, fire safety, and other impacts to the neighborhood.

— j. harry jones, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Next step looms in Safari Highlands debate," 16 June 2017
Habitat loss due to urban and suburban sprawl is one of the main reasons.

— sarah stolz, Cincinnati.com, "Study reveals bee-friendly trees and shrubs," 15 June 2017
The city is 'hiding in all that sprawl' Phoenix falls short in some of the basic measures that give people the sense of a big city.

— brenna goth, azcentral, "Phoenix is the nation's 5th largest — but is it a 'real' city?," 11 June 2017

First Known Use of sprawl

1598

SPRAWL Defined for English Language Learners

sprawl

play

verb

Definition of sprawl for English Language Learners

: to lie or sit with your arms and legs spread wide apart
: to spread or develop in an uneven or uncontrolled way

sprawl

noun

Definition of sprawl for English Language Learners

: a group of things (such as buildings) that cover an area in an uneven and ugly way

SPRAWL Defined for Kids

sprawl

play

verb \ ˈsprȯl \

Definition of sprawl for Students

sprawled; sprawling

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

2 :to spread out unevenly

The city of Madison sprawls between two lakes …
—Sharon Creech, Walk Two Moons

sprawl

noun

Definition of sprawl for Students

:the act or posture of spreading out

Learn More about sprawl

See words that rhyme with sprawl Spanish Central: Translation of sprawl Nglish: Translation of sprawl for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of sprawl for Arabic speakers

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sprawl

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Definition of sprawl for English Language Learners

sprawl

Definition of sprawl for English Language Learners

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