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
Occupying the entire 64th floor of the 96-story skyscraper, the residence sprawls over 8,000 square feet with four bedrooms and four bathrooms, plus two powder rooms.
—
Wendy Bowman, Robb Report, 27 May 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
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
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
Wendy Bowman, Robb Report, 27 May 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
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
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
-
The concession extends through four different eco-zones and happens to be prime rhino and big cat real estate.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
3 June 2026
-
The order extends to books and materials on sale at the gift stores.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 June 2026
Verb
-
And passing overhead is a constant barrage of airplanes as the city sits directly beneath the airport’s flight path, but the noise is hardly bothersome.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
1 June 2026
-
Añejo Tequila sits at the intersection of agave character and oak influence.—
Joseph V Micallef,
Forbes.com,
31 May 2026
Verb
-
RedNotes users This is where WorkBuddy diverges sharply from many Western counterparts.—
Vivian Toh,
Forbes.com,
28 May 2026
-
But his account of the incident significantly diverges from there.—
Nicole Blanchard,
Idaho Statesman,
1 May 2026
Verb
-
Hubbard emphasized that the whole bond market system rests on the trust that the debt will be repaid.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
1 June 2026
-
Their competitive advantage traditionally rests on operational efficiency rather than symbolic value.—
Esade Business & Law School,
Forbes.com,
31 May 2026
Verb
-
The vibrant floral print of this Vince Camuto Maxi Dress practically radiates vacation energy.—
Julia Morlino,
Travel + Leisure,
29 May 2026
-
Mineral Milk feels like cozying up with a blanket on a cold beach day, with lavender, sea salt, and an amber accord that radiates warmth.—
Ariel Wodarcyk,
InStyle,
28 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 6 Jun. 2026.
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