Synonyms of sprawling

sprawling

verb

present participle of sprawl

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

• extending
• diverging
• expanding
• radiating
• dividing
• branching
• scattering
• spreading (out)
• splaying
• increasing
• parting
• proliferating
• swelling
• fanning (out)
• separating
• rising
• mushrooming
• dispersing
• escalating
• climbing
• mounting
• enlarging
• multiplying
• forking
• diffusing
• dispensing
• rolling up
• snowballing
• raying
• dissipating
• waxing
• sowing
• gaining

Dissimilar Words

• containing
• limiting
• restricting
• contracting
• diminishing
• decreasing
• dwindling
• focusing
• receding
• waning
• converging
• lessening
• meeting
• joining
• concentrating
• funneling

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

• sitting
• flopping
• straddling
• spreading (out)
• stretching (out)
• squatting
• lounging
• resting
• relaxing
• slouching
• reclining
• plopping
• setting
• lying back
• plunking
• lolling
• basking
• plumping
• reposing
• planking
• flumping
• kicking back
• perching
• opening
• expanding
• unfurling
• splaying
• unfolding
• extending
• flaring (out)
• fanning (out)
• outstretching
• outspreading

Dissimilar Words

• standing
• rising
• arising
• getting up

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of sprawling

News reporting about the new plane’s security deficiencies angered the president and triggered a sprawling leak investigation. — Brian Stelter, CNN Money, 16 July 2026

Scott, by contrast, signed the Giving Pledge at 49, skipped the sprawling foundation entirely, and started moving billions out the door immediately through Yield Giving. — Sydney Lake, Fortune, 16 July 2026

The sprawling adaptation of Homer’s epic is the first-ever movie shot entirely on Imax film cameras. — Antonio Ferme, Variety, 16 July 2026

Whether in rural towns or sprawling cities, activists who can mobilize citizens to flood council meetings and hold picket signs are finding success. — Joe Wilkins, Futurism, 16 July 2026

The result is something that’s splendid and sprawling while remaining insulated from major emotions (with the exception of the thread involving Argos, Odysseus’s faithful hunting dog, which could shatter the hardest of hearts). — Alison Willmore, Vulture, 15 July 2026

Dozens of people held at a sprawling Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Texas say they were either beaten by guards or witnessed others being beaten, according to a new report issued by legal and human rights advocates. — Michael Biesecker, Los Angeles Times, 15 July 2026

Georgia’s place in the national automotive ecosystem might be anchored by the likes of Hyundai and Kia, which operate sprawling factories here employing thousands, but Vintage Modern is finding its niche. — Zachary Hansen, AJC.com, 10 July 2026

Bissinger’s Handcrafted Chocolatier, which has a location in Palm Beach and is planning another one in Boca Raton, just opened in a sprawling shopping complex off Interstate 75 on the state’s Gulf Coast. — Jason Dill july 9, Miami Herald, 9 July 2026