sprawl

1 of 2

verb

sprawled; sprawling; sprawls

intransitive verb

1
: to lie or sit with arms and legs spread out
2
: to spread or develop irregularly or without restraint
bushes sprawling along the road
sprawling suburbs
a sprawling narrative
3
a
: to creep or clamber awkwardly
b
archaic : to lie thrashing or tossing about

transitive verb

: to cause to spread out carelessly or awkwardly
sprawled out her books on the table

sprawl

2 of 2

noun

1
: an irregularly spread or scattered group or mass
2
3
: the act, posture, or condition of sprawling

Examples of sprawl in a Sentence

Verb The kids sprawled on the floor to watch TV. She tripped and went sprawling into the table. The city sprawls along the coastline. The bushes were sprawling along the road.
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
The storms were part of a sprawling system that put more than 45 million people from Texas to western Pennsylvania under threat of severe storms Thursday into early Friday. Elizabeth Wolfe, CNN, 15 Mar. 2024 His successor, Altman, started a sprawling research operation that, among other things, launched OpenAI. Steven Levy, WIRED, 15 Mar. 2024 Vasquez said he was frustrated by the lack of awareness among large mezcal production companies moving into Oaxaca that benefit from the sprawling agave fields but have yet to support the communities affected by fire. Melissa Gomez, Los Angeles Times, 15 Mar. 2024 Hidden among lush gardens and century-old olive trees just five minutes from the town's downtown, the property has 43 guest rooms and suites, as well as a sprawling villa for guests, a spa, a pool, two bars, a paddle court, and a Mediterranean restaurant. Dobrina Zhekova, Travel + Leisure, 15 Mar. 2024 TikTok unleashed a sprawling attempt to thwart the bill, urging its users to blanket Congress with calls and dispatching CEO Shou Zi Chew to campaign on the Hill. Aaron Schaffer, Washington Post, 15 Mar. 2024 Mixing satirical comedy, battlefield brutality and personal tragedy, the sprawling epic chronicles Napoleon Bonaparte's political and military victories as well as his volatile relationship with his wife Josephine (Vanessa Kirby). Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, 15 Mar. 2024 That eventually morphed into Ardian in 2013, and is now a sprawling 1,050-people operation. Prarthana Prakash, Fortune Europe, 8 Mar. 2024 The album would become notorious for his decision to record at the sprawling bungalow on 10050 Cielo Drive, the house where a pregnant Sharon Tate and five other people were murdered on August 8, 1969 by Charles Manson’s followers. Adam Steiner, SPIN, 8 Mar. 2024
Noun
The 19th-century estate in Wales sprawls over 17 pastoral acres and incorporates stone walls that date to the 14th and 15th centuries. Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 21 Feb. 2024 The new Publix, the fifth in the Florida Keys, sprawls over 64,000 square feet — one of the larger format stores in the chain, said Publix spokeswoman Hannah Herring. Howard Cohen, Miami Herald, 16 Feb. 2024 One of the best places to catch the annual cherry blossom bloom is on the outskirts of Grand Rapids, where the renowned Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park sprawls. Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 23 Feb. 2024 Its 18-song sprawl was recorded at the exact middle point of the band’s career, with a balance of their early playfulness and their more ambitious later work. Al Shipley, SPIN, 20 Feb. 2024 Having a listening group as a sounding board of directors turns the sprawl of music history into a rolling conversation with friends, a renewable resource, an endless delight. Tim Davis, New York Times, 13 Feb. 2024 Longtime Untrue fans will gravitate towards the ghostly vocals and shuffling beats, but proponents of Burial’s more abstract recent work should embrace the sprawl here, too. Jason Lipshutz, Billboard, 2 Feb. 2024 The 19-defendant sprawl there is currently mired in scandal involving the prosecutors, a continuing appellate effort to get the matter transferred to federal court, and extensive pretrial litigation. Andrew C. McCarthy, National Review, 15 Jan. 2024 Riding a bike in Los Angeles is an act of defiance — against car culture, against endless sprawl, against bike lanes that disappear without warning and against gaping potholes. Michael Charboneau, Los Angeles Times, 15 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'sprawl.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English, from Old English sprēawlian

First Known Use

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 3b

Noun

1598, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Time Traveler
The first known use of sprawl was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near sprawl

Cite this Entry

“Sprawl.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sprawl. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

sprawl

verb
ˈsprȯl
1
: to lie or sit with arms and legs spread out
sprawled on the couch watching TV
2
: to spread out in an uneven or awkward way
a sprawling city
sprawl noun
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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