1
as in to extend
to extend outwards from or as if from a central point
The suburbs sprawl for miles beyond the city's downtown.
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2
as in to stretch (out)
to rest with the arms and legs spread out
There's no feeling like sprawling out on your bed after a hard day's work.
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of sprawl
The company, which employs about 150 people, has a sprawling complex in rural central Tennessee with eight specialized production buildings and a lab.
—
Dave Smith, Fortune, 25 Oct. 2025
Los Angeles, where the produce is so fresh and enticing as to induce tears and the reservation culture is not nearly as annoying as New York, is a sprawling city with a sprawling food scene.
—Jocelyn Silver, Vogue, 25 Oct. 2025
Some markets operate on a Texas scale – huge industrial parks, massive logistics hubs and sprawling development tracts.
—Allen Buchanan, Oc Register, 25 Oct. 2025
Her Cornish Rex cat, Rabbit, is sprawled out on the floor, unconcerned by the two birds (Chicken and Charlie) chirping from an adjacent office or a colleague’s gray-haired cat next door, who seems to be causing a stir.
—Chris Gardner, HollywoodReporter, 24 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sprawl
Dave Smith, Fortune, 25 Oct. 2025
Los Angeles, where the produce is so fresh and enticing as to induce tears and the reservation culture is not nearly as annoying as New York, is a sprawling city with a sprawling food scene.
—Jocelyn Silver, Vogue, 25 Oct. 2025
Some markets operate on a Texas scale – huge industrial parks, massive logistics hubs and sprawling development tracts.
—Allen Buchanan, Oc Register, 25 Oct. 2025
Her Cornish Rex cat, Rabbit, is sprawled out on the floor, unconcerned by the two birds (Chicken and Charlie) chirping from an adjacent office or a colleague’s gray-haired cat next door, who seems to be causing a stir.
—Chris Gardner, HollywoodReporter, 24 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sprawl
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sprawl
Verb
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This year, Spirit Halloween is extending over 20 contracts to support the expansion of Spirit Christmas, now entering its second year.—
Victoria Moorwood,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
23 Oct. 2025
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This would not have been the case had Wrexham’s longest winless start to an EFL season on home soil been extended to six games by Oxford on a night when the hosts played the final quarter of the match a man down following Callum Doyle’s red card.—
Richard Sutcliffe,
New York Times,
23 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Only recently did their stories diverge.—
Omar Jimenez,
CNN Money,
26 Oct. 2025
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The key people in Haiti hold diverging views on whether to maintain or modify the current transitional governance arrangement, Guterres said.—
Jacqueline Charles,
Miami Herald,
22 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Wrexham now sit 15th in the table, level on points with pre-season title favourites Ipswich Town and five points clear of Norwich City in the final relegation place.—
Richard Sutcliffe,
New York Times,
23 Oct. 2025
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But letting them in was still a better idea than sitting here at her table, scrolling her phone, waiting for several thousand bucks to miraculously drop in her lap.—
Rachel Raposas,
PEOPLE,
23 Oct. 2025
Verb
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When a snowstorm blows up suddenly and socks in the entire area, Lester and Mike begin a search that soon expands with the aid of local neighbors and law enforcement.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
22 Oct. 2025
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The Functional Fabric Fair has also expanded its speaker programming to provide forward-thinking insights and solutions to current challenges.—
SJ Studio,
Sourcing Journal,
22 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The flowers are the best, even if the leaves are lame and flop over.—
Joshua Siskin,
Oc Register,
25 Oct. 2025
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In one second-quarter stretch, Smart checked in, hit a jumper, flopped to draw an offensive foul on Curry, then hooked his arm around Curry’s shoulder and wrestled the Warriors star to the floor, earning him a flagrant 1 foul and prompting a celebration from Horford.—
Zack Cox,
Boston Herald,
23 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The science author Stuart Clark notes that the concept was nonsensical to contemporary scientists, who assumed that magnetism could not break free from a magnet and that the Sun’s energy radiated equally across its surface.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
27 Oct. 2025
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This cul-de-sac at the end of civilization feels like a physical manifestation of the loneliness Carol radiates even before the cataclysmic incident.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
27 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Now that the restoration is complete, Birger is spending her days in the kitchen cooking, lounging on the sunbed at the pool, and working in her studio.—
Nicole Kliest,
Vogue,
28 Oct. 2025
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In a viral TikTok shared by user @rejumadnil, a small dog can be seen calmly lounging on what appears to be an entire couch cushion placed neatly inside its kennel.—
Alice Gibbs,
MSNBC Newsweek,
27 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The pillows are also resistant to shifting and lumping, so the filling will remain evenly balanced, providing a reliably cozy place to rest your head every night.—
Melody Kazel,
PEOPLE,
24 Oct. 2025
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The bronze statue, commissioned by the owner of baby products brand Frida and sculpted by Rayvenn Shaleigha D’Clark, depicts a topless woman, holding her baby in one arm, while the other rests on her hip.—
Elisabeth Sherman,
Parents,
23 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Sprawl.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sprawl. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
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