1
as in extended
to extend outwards from or as if from a central point
The suburbs sprawl for miles beyond the city's downtown.
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
2
as in sat
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.
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of sprawled
McLeod is issuing rapid instructions to her 7-year-old daughter Ella, who is sprawled on her back on a bedroom floor.
—
Faith Karimi, CNN Money, 29 Aug. 2025
That new 20,000-square-foot store replaces the nearby Kendall Village store a mile west that sprawled more than 55,000 square feet of space for nearly 30 years.
—Howard Cohen, Miami Herald, 29 Aug. 2025
Among the many exhibits sprawled across the castle's lawn, the USS Enterprise from the popular sci-fi series 'Star Trek,' was particularly eye-catching.
—Kenna Hughes-Castleberry, Space.com, 28 Aug. 2025
The Milky Way sprawled above like a luminous brain—countless stars clustered in neural patterns, a cosmos of flickering connections.
—Joshua Rothman, New Yorker, 25 Aug. 2025
Moments later, the clip cuts to the cat sprawled out in her new home after being adopted.
—Lucy Notarantonio, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Aug. 2025
Responding officers found Thoral sprawled on the street with injuries throughout his body.
—Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News, 21 Aug. 2025
As the pair lay together on an air mattress with their clothing items sprawled about, her dress can be seen being slowly dragged off camera.
—Stephanie Wenger, People.com, 19 Aug. 2025
The tourism hub is lined with hotels, restaurants, shops and entertainment spots, but the council says lewd messages sprawled across the backsides of storefront mannequins and tongue-in-cheek T-shirts are tarnishing the area’s wholesome image.
—Michael Dorgan, FOXNews.com, 14 Aug. 2025
Faith Karimi, CNN Money, 29 Aug. 2025
That new 20,000-square-foot store replaces the nearby Kendall Village store a mile west that sprawled more than 55,000 square feet of space for nearly 30 years.
—Howard Cohen, Miami Herald, 29 Aug. 2025
Among the many exhibits sprawled across the castle's lawn, the USS Enterprise from the popular sci-fi series 'Star Trek,' was particularly eye-catching.
—Kenna Hughes-Castleberry, Space.com, 28 Aug. 2025
The Milky Way sprawled above like a luminous brain—countless stars clustered in neural patterns, a cosmos of flickering connections.
—Joshua Rothman, New Yorker, 25 Aug. 2025
Moments later, the clip cuts to the cat sprawled out in her new home after being adopted.
—Lucy Notarantonio, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Aug. 2025
Responding officers found Thoral sprawled on the street with injuries throughout his body.
—Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News, 21 Aug. 2025
As the pair lay together on an air mattress with their clothing items sprawled about, her dress can be seen being slowly dragged off camera.
—Stephanie Wenger, People.com, 19 Aug. 2025
The tourism hub is lined with hotels, restaurants, shops and entertainment spots, but the council says lewd messages sprawled across the backsides of storefront mannequins and tongue-in-cheek T-shirts are tarnishing the area’s wholesome image.
—Michael Dorgan, FOXNews.com, 14 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sprawled
Verb
-
The cells extended nerve fibers in both directions, toward the head and tail, to connect with the host spinal tissue.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
5 Sep. 2025
-
The takeaway came one play after the Cowboys’ drive was extended by a personal foul on Eagles safety Reed Blankenship on a third-and-22.—
The Athletic NFL Staff,
New York Times,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Levi Jones, a 33-year-old business owner, pulled up to Sacred Eye Tattoos in Hollywood last week and sat for eight hours getting a photorealistic black-and-white portrait of Mangione on his leg.—
Amanda Rosa,
Orlando Sentinel,
24 Dec. 2024
-
The birthday boy and his big sister Sterling Skye, 3, each sat between one of their parents’ laps.—
Angel Saunders,
People.com,
24 Dec. 2024
Verb
-
The theory diverged from the dominant, century-long view that evolution adhered to a slow, steady pace of Darwinian gradualism, in which species incrementally and almost imperceptibly developed into new ones.—
Jake Buehler,
Quanta Magazine,
28 Aug. 2025
-
Mingling and interbreeding Modern humans and Neanderthals share an ancestor that originated in Africa, but the two lineages diverged at least 500,000 years ago.—
Mindy Weisberger,
CNN Money,
28 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Phones don’t seem to be the long-term solution, pins flopped, and glasses haven’t compelled the masses yet.—
Rachyl Jones,
semafor.com,
3 Sep. 2025
-
On the ground, the story of what resonated — or flopped — at the Telluride Film Festival can look far different from the headlines.—
Clayton Davis,
Variety,
1 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
According to the researchers, the 40-neutron island of inversion is one of only a few small islands of exotic nuclei scattered across the neutron-rich edge of the nuclear chart, which is dominated by more conventional, stable configurations.—
Georgina Jedikovska,
Interesting Engineering,
3 Sep. 2025
-
The photos bear many of the hallmarks of college life, including string lights both inside and out, red solo cups and cans of alcohol, and some clothes scattered on the floor.—
N'dea Yancey-Bragg,
USA Today,
3 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Throughout their trip, Gomez and her friends lounged on the beach and dressed up in matching sweatsuits.—
Marina Watts,
People.com,
1 Sep. 2025
-
Guests of the hotel lounged around the pool, mingling, laughing, and dancing.—
L'Oréal Blackett,
Refinery29,
4 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Everyone on stage radiated good vibes and, in the case of Ja Rule and Nelly, performed their hits one after the other, giving it the feel of a particularly jumping DJ set.—
Ross Raihala,
Twin Cities,
31 Aug. 2025
-
Her charisma radiated throughout the night, keeping the audience engaged not just with her music but with her magnetic personality.—
Tiffany Acosta,
AZCentral.com,
15 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
The resort is divided into domestic and international zones.—
Jeanne Bonner,
CNN Money,
6 Sep. 2025
-
Choose the Right Varieties Garlic is divided into two main categories, and there are numerous cultivars of each type to choose from.—
Lauren Landers,
Better Homes & Gardens,
6 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Sprawled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sprawled. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share