1
as in extends
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 sits
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 sprawls
This is largely the doing of the seventy-five-year-old patriarch who has expanded a small jute-processing company into a commercial and industrial empire that sprawls across much of the country.
—
Literary Hub,
16 June 2026
The lawn sprawls 58,000 square feet.
—
Shardaa Gray,
CBS News,
15 June 2026
The property, aptly christened Tall Timber, sprawls across an impressive 200 acres amid the San Juan National Forest.
—
Tori Latham,
Robb Report,
11 June 2026
The 52,485-acre park, which sprawls over 82 square miles of high mesa, deep valleys and canyons, is the first home of today's Puebloan peoples.
—
Alia Beard Rau,
USA Today,
10 June 2026
The menu sprawls across all-day breakfast, po’ boys, muffulettas, she-crab soup, shrimp and grits and Cajun pasta, with most entrées landing in the $13-$20 range.
—
Charlotte Observer,
10 June 2026
Located on the edge of the city in the Bogd Khan Uul UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, Ayan Zalaat opened its doors in January 2026 and sprawls out over 34 acres of the Zalaat Valley and Bogd Khan mountain, where monks once came to meditate and worship.
—
Mae Hamilton,
Travel + Leisure,
10 June 2026
Just like its name suggests, creeping phlox sprawls along garden walls, flower beds, container gardens, and raised gardens spilling into a lush, dense ground cover.
—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
5 June 2026
Building, lighting plans draw criticism from community Parker’s campus currently sprawls six acres and has a 6-to-1 student-to-teacher ratio.
—
Kate Perez,
Chicago Tribune,
23 May 2026
Literary Hub,
16 June 2026
The lawn sprawls 58,000 square feet.
—
Shardaa Gray,
CBS News,
15 June 2026
The property, aptly christened Tall Timber, sprawls across an impressive 200 acres amid the San Juan National Forest.
—
Tori Latham,
Robb Report,
11 June 2026
The 52,485-acre park, which sprawls over 82 square miles of high mesa, deep valleys and canyons, is the first home of today's Puebloan peoples.
—
Alia Beard Rau,
USA Today,
10 June 2026
The menu sprawls across all-day breakfast, po’ boys, muffulettas, she-crab soup, shrimp and grits and Cajun pasta, with most entrées landing in the $13-$20 range.
—
Charlotte Observer,
10 June 2026
Located on the edge of the city in the Bogd Khan Uul UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, Ayan Zalaat opened its doors in January 2026 and sprawls out over 34 acres of the Zalaat Valley and Bogd Khan mountain, where monks once came to meditate and worship.
—
Mae Hamilton,
Travel + Leisure,
10 June 2026
Just like its name suggests, creeping phlox sprawls along garden walls, flower beds, container gardens, and raised gardens spilling into a lush, dense ground cover.
—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
5 June 2026
Building, lighting plans draw criticism from community Parker’s campus currently sprawls six acres and has a 6-to-1 student-to-teacher ratio.
—
Kate Perez,
Chicago Tribune,
23 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sprawls
Verb
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Tuesday’s ruling declares the case a class action and extends the order nationwide.
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Leadership extends far beyond an intellectual and emotional endeavor.
Verb
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About 150 miles from SoFi Stadium, south of the Mexican border, sits the hotel housing Iran’s World Cup team for its games at the Inglewood venue.
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The reason for the oxygen break was not immediately clear, though many concertgoers posting about the moment online pointed to the venue’s elevation — West Valley City sits at 4,300 feet above sea level.
Verb
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Use social listening and qualitative research to surface where reality diverges from the model.
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There’s a specific moment in the story where Kaplan diverges and Teddy and the audience stay together.
Verb
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One soldier’s hand rests on the back of another.
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The decision to continue in the position rests solely on him.
Verb
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This way, the whole surface area of each droplet radiates away heat.
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The field absorbs solar radiation from the sun and radiates that heat back onto the pitch.
Verb
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Just outside Charlotte, the park straddles the North Carolina-South Carolina border, with the state line marked through the plaza.
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Black Lake, for example, straddles two counties — Cheboygan, which has a 2012 FEMA flood plain map, and Presque Isle, where most areas have never been mapped.
Verb
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Joel Embiid is a great player, one of the best bigs in f—ing basketball history, flops.
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One of the best bigs in [expletive] basketball history flops.
Verb
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The effortlessly cool shape sits low on the hips, with a shorter inseam that slouches through a subtle, flattering drape.
Cite this Entry
“Sprawls.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sprawls. Accessed 26 Jun. 2026.
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