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
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
District 9 goes from a compact district to one that sprawls 120 miles from Orlando International Airport to Moore Haven on the edge of Lake Okeechobee.
—Jeffrey Schweers, The Orlando Sentinel, 3 May 2026
Chicago One of the world's largest science museums, the Griffin Museum of Science and Industry sprawls over more than 400,000 square feet.
—Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 30 Apr. 2026
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
District 9 goes from a compact district to one that sprawls 120 miles from Orlando International Airport to Moore Haven on the edge of Lake Okeechobee.
—Jeffrey Schweers, The Orlando Sentinel, 3 May 2026
Chicago One of the world's largest science museums, the Griffin Museum of Science and Industry sprawls over more than 400,000 square feet.
—Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 30 Apr. 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
-
On the reverse side were the locations of the seventy-two teams that make up the first three divisions of the National League System, which sits below the English Football League.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
18 May 2026
-
In the spring of 2015, Syrian military forces bore down on Jisr al-Shughur, which sits at a strategic juncture along a majorhighway.—
Emily Feng,
NPR,
17 May 2026
Verb
-
But his account of the incident significantly diverges from there.—
Nicole Blanchard,
Idaho Statesman,
1 May 2026
-
This is where the ACP diverges most sharply from the USPSTF, which supports biennial screening starting at 40, and from the ACR and SBI, which recommend going annually from that age.—
Allison Palmer,
Sacbee.com,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The dirty little secret most insiders either don’t realize or do not want to admit is that the entire TV eco-system rests on the shoulders of these networks.—
Ted Linhart,
Forbes.com,
18 May 2026
-
The strongest case for these clinics rests on early detection.—
Hanna Wickes,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
18 May 2026
Verb
-
But while others are outraged on his behalf, and the audience continues to litigate the show’s end, Colbert remains positive and radiates gratitude.—
Brian Stelter,
CNN Money,
18 May 2026
-
His palpable belief in fatherhood as a life’s work radiates off the screen.—
Vikram Murthi,
IndieWire,
15 May 2026
Verb
-
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
-
The land, annexed in January, straddles Meadow Road, and officials said at the time that annexing the land would allow for development that would bring jobs and other benefits to the city.—
Elizabeth Campbell,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
8 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 22 May. 2026.
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