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
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
The female tree called Kawas sprawls across an area roughly the size of a football field and is thought to be hundreds of years old.
—Christopher Elliott, Forbes.com, 23 May 2026
Taking up half of the Belfiore’s top two floors, the brand-new unit sprawls across almost 9,000 square feet.
—Tori Latham, Robb Report, 18 May 2026
The restaurant, which seats 75 guests, sprawls across 11,500 square feet.
—Connie Ogle
may 15, Miami Herald, 15 May 2026
The backstory South America’s largest city sprawls as far as the eye can see with towers and highways, which explains how this part of town (not the most central) has become a hub for meetings.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 14 May 2026
The Whirlpool Galaxy sprawls across the cosmos in this striking new snapshot from NASA's James Webb Space Telescope (JWST).
—Chelsea Gohd, Space.com, 13 May 2026
This year’s Slide Away sprawls across six shows in three cities — Brooklyn Paramount on Friday and Saturday (May 15-16), Chicago’s Aragon Ballroom on May 22-23 and Los Angeles’ Hollywood Palladium on May 29-30 — with roughly 20,000 tickets sold in total.
—Jonathan Cohen, SPIN, 13 May 2026
The collision underscores the longstanding challenge of keeping intruders out of major airports such as Denver’s, which sprawls across 53 square miles, twice the size of Manhattan.
—Mead Gruver, Los Angeles Times, 12 May 2026
Kate Perez, Chicago Tribune, 23 May 2026
The female tree called Kawas sprawls across an area roughly the size of a football field and is thought to be hundreds of years old.
—Christopher Elliott, Forbes.com, 23 May 2026
Taking up half of the Belfiore’s top two floors, the brand-new unit sprawls across almost 9,000 square feet.
—Tori Latham, Robb Report, 18 May 2026
The restaurant, which seats 75 guests, sprawls across 11,500 square feet.
—Connie Ogle
may 15, Miami Herald, 15 May 2026
The backstory South America’s largest city sprawls as far as the eye can see with towers and highways, which explains how this part of town (not the most central) has become a hub for meetings.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 14 May 2026
The Whirlpool Galaxy sprawls across the cosmos in this striking new snapshot from NASA's James Webb Space Telescope (JWST).
—Chelsea Gohd, Space.com, 13 May 2026
This year’s Slide Away sprawls across six shows in three cities — Brooklyn Paramount on Friday and Saturday (May 15-16), Chicago’s Aragon Ballroom on May 22-23 and Los Angeles’ Hollywood Palladium on May 29-30 — with roughly 20,000 tickets sold in total.
—Jonathan Cohen, SPIN, 13 May 2026
The collision underscores the longstanding challenge of keeping intruders out of major airports such as Denver’s, which sprawls across 53 square miles, twice the size of Manhattan.
—Mead Gruver, Los Angeles Times, 12 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sprawls
Verb
-
Their friendship extends beyond the classroom.—
Michael Butler,
Miami Herald,
19 May 2026
-
For Brady, the lesson extends far beyond football.—
Preston Fore,
Fortune,
19 May 2026
Verb
-
The week of May 16–22 has been a reminder that bourbon rarely sits still, even in a market increasingly defined by oversupply and consolidation.—
Joseph V Micallef,
Forbes.com,
24 May 2026
-
Defendant Kouri Richins sits to their right.—
Natalie Morales,
CBS News,
24 May 2026
Verb
-
What This Means for the Market For investors, the practical implication is a market map that diverges sharply from the pure labor-replacement playbook.—
Josipa Majic Predin,
Forbes.com,
23 May 2026
-
But his account of the incident significantly diverges from there.—
Nicole Blanchard,
Idaho Statesman,
1 May 2026
Verb
-
However, sometimes birds are still able to peck through, pull fruit off, or even slip underneath when the netting rests directly on the branches.—
Gemma Johnstone,
The Spruce,
24 May 2026
-
Most of the sleep case rests on the broader slow-breathing research base.—
Allison Palmer,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
23 May 2026
Verb
-
Now 35 and about to embark on his 14th consecutive home Test summer, England’s greatest batter still radiates a boyish quality that no amount of stubble or crow’s feet can dim.—
James Wallace,
New York Times,
22 May 2026
-
Rumer Willis knows that beauty radiates from within.—
Emlyn Travis,
Entertainment Weekly,
22 May 2026
Verb
-
Whenever the superstar drops a new single, it is played nonstop on stations that focus on pop and R&B, as his work typically straddles the line between those two genres.—
Hugh McIntyre,
Forbes.com,
24 May 2026
-
Jane Wickline also debuts a new song, which straddles a defense of being chronically late and an outright defiance of the idea of being on time.—
Rima Parikh,
Vulture,
10 May 2026
Verb
-
Joel Embiid is a great player, one of the best bigs in f—ing basketball history, flops.—
Devon Henderson,
New York Times,
4 May 2026
-
One of the best bigs in [expletive] basketball history flops.—
Matt Schooley,
CBS News,
4 May 2026
Verb
-
The effortlessly cool shape sits low on the hips, with a shorter inseam that slouches through a subtle, flattering drape.—
Kristina Rutkowski,
Footwear News,
22 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Sprawls.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sprawls. Accessed 26 May. 2026.
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