1
as in extending
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 sitting
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 sprawling
While OpenAI pursued a sprawling set of ambitions, from video AI to consumer hardware to chips to robotics and beyond, Anthropic’s laser focus on coding enabled it to build the most powerful coding models in the world, setting the stage for the breakout success of Claude Code.
—
Rob Toews,
Forbes.com,
22 June 2026
The narrative conjures meaning from the Los Angeles cityscape by fusing a hodgepodge of textbook theories about the sprawling metropolis onto the gritty reality of daily life.
—
Los Angeles Times,
22 June 2026
Kerry Carpenter hit a hard grounder down the first-base line, but Gonzalez made a sprawling play to force extra innings.
—
CBS News,
21 June 2026
From the nearby lighthouse, visitors craned for a better view of Swift’s mansion, a sprawling white home perched atop a rocky bluff overlooking the Atlantic Ocean.
—
Leah Willingham,
Fortune,
21 June 2026
Rumors take hold From the nearby lighthouse, visitors craned for a better view of Swift’s mansion, a sprawling white home perched atop a rocky bluff overlooking the Atlantic Ocean.
—
Leah Willingham,
Chicago Tribune,
21 June 2026
For six hours, military and law enforcement personnel searched the sprawling base using real-time intelligence and tracking support from the NCIS Multiple Threat Alert Center and Regional Enforcement Action Capabilities Team.
—
Michael Sinkewicz,
FOXNews.com,
14 June 2026
OpenAI might usefully streamline its sprawling product line-up before listing.
—
The Week Uk,
TheWeek,
14 June 2026
Founded in 1964, the store has well over 100,000 new and used titles spread across the shelves of a sprawling indoor-outdoor space.
—
Cu Fleshman,
Travel + Leisure,
14 June 2026
Rob Toews,
Forbes.com,
22 June 2026
The narrative conjures meaning from the Los Angeles cityscape by fusing a hodgepodge of textbook theories about the sprawling metropolis onto the gritty reality of daily life.
—
Los Angeles Times,
22 June 2026
Kerry Carpenter hit a hard grounder down the first-base line, but Gonzalez made a sprawling play to force extra innings.
—
CBS News,
21 June 2026
From the nearby lighthouse, visitors craned for a better view of Swift’s mansion, a sprawling white home perched atop a rocky bluff overlooking the Atlantic Ocean.
—
Leah Willingham,
Fortune,
21 June 2026
Rumors take hold From the nearby lighthouse, visitors craned for a better view of Swift’s mansion, a sprawling white home perched atop a rocky bluff overlooking the Atlantic Ocean.
—
Leah Willingham,
Chicago Tribune,
21 June 2026
For six hours, military and law enforcement personnel searched the sprawling base using real-time intelligence and tracking support from the NCIS Multiple Threat Alert Center and Regional Enforcement Action Capabilities Team.
—
Michael Sinkewicz,
FOXNews.com,
14 June 2026
OpenAI might usefully streamline its sprawling product line-up before listing.
—
The Week Uk,
TheWeek,
14 June 2026
Founded in 1964, the store has well over 100,000 new and used titles spread across the shelves of a sprawling indoor-outdoor space.
—
Cu Fleshman,
Travel + Leisure,
14 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sprawling
Verb
-
The rock band, which consists of Rick Mitarotonda, Trevor Weekz, Peter Anspach and Cotter Ellis, released a statement shortly after the incident, extending their condolences to the victim’s family and loved ones.
-
And the financial burden is extending beyond the young workers clamoring for independence.
Verb
-
Australia began their campaign with a superb 2-0 win over Türkiye, sitting deep and springing on the counter to devastating effect to give themselves a great chance of reaching the knockout stages.
-
The last Royal visit It is believed that Saturday’s royal visit will be the first time in 100 years that a sitting monarch has stopped in Kansas City.
Verb
-
Amid the government’s heated rhetoric, our data shows public opinion on immigration in one of the country’s reddest agricultural states is diverging from national politics and may even be at odds with federal policy.
-
After losing Saint Pepsi to trademark law, DeRobertis and future funk took diverging paths—the former towards nu-disco and synthpop, the latter towards a new artistic disposition made up of anime girls and neon colors.
Verb
-
Plus, the minuscule fines, when they are applied, aren't going to deter millionaires from flopping to get cheap free throws.
-
Plant peonies in partial sun and stake them early to prevent flopping and extend bloom quality.
Verb
-
Layne’s group has pushed county leaders to fund a continuous drug addiction treatment program, expanding access for those who need it both during and after incarceration.
-
Episode 2 continues that methodology, pairing globally influential artists with scientific inquiry, while expanding the scope of both the artistry and the research.
Verb
-
The primary to represent the upstate New York district, which stretches from the Canadian border to straddling the northern Albany suburbs, became increasingly bitter as Constantino and Smullen threatened legal action against each other over claims made during the campaign.
-
The show struggles with tonal consistency, too, awkwardly straddling the genres of revenge epic, dark comedy and domestic drama.
Verb
-
That same feel-good factor is radiating in Mexico and Canada, with the three host nations unbeaten after two games each, combining for extremely strong vibes across matches and fan festivals.
-
In one engraving from van Deventer’s manual, his arm is shown inserted into an empty uterus almost up to the elbow, the engraver’s close, texturing lines transforming his hand into a radiating light within a cavernous female darkness.
Verb
-
Mahayahay Elementary School, located in the province of Davao Occidental, shared footage on social media showing frightened students squatting on the ground and then scurrying away when a canopy roof collapsed during the quake.
-
Corvette, particularly, feels outside of it all, as a woman who dreams of being a designer herself but is currently squatting in a closed fast food chicken shop and being haunted by a boulder of debt (like, literally).
Cite this Entry
“Sprawling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sprawling. Accessed 25 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
