urban sprawl

noun

: the spreading of urban developments (such as houses and shopping centers) on undeveloped land near a city

Examples of urban sprawl in a Sentence

efforts to stop urban sprawl
Recent Examples on the Web In Los Angeles, where urban sprawl and diverse venues present unique security challenges, AI will play a central role in coordinating large-scale operations across multiple sites. Brian Gumbel, Forbes, 9 Sep. 2024 Designed for 200,000 people, the population of its urban sprawl now exceeds 1 million. Ricardo Hernández, WIRED, 6 Sep. 2024 The hubris of believing that people can control water with concrete will be increasingly exposed as more of those kinds of projects fail, unable to buffer the knock-on impacts from rapid population growth, urban sprawl and climate change. Erica Gies, Scientific American, 1 Dec. 2018 From navigating the city’s infamous urban sprawl to dodging middle schoolers at Erewhon, here are my humble suggestions for games at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 12 Aug. 2024 See all Example Sentences for urban sprawl 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'urban sprawl.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1934, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of urban sprawl was in 1934

Dictionary Entries Near urban sprawl

Cite this Entry

“Urban sprawl.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/urban%20sprawl. Accessed 4 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

urban sprawl

noun
: the spreading of urban structures into areas surrounding a city

More from Merriam-Webster on urban sprawl

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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