sprawled; sprawling; sprawls
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
: to cause to spread out carelessly or awkwardly
sprawled out her books on the table
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
Demetrius Simms, Robb Report, 23 May 2025
Republicans insisted their sprawling 1,000-page-plus package was what voters sent them to Congress — and Trump to the White House — to accomplish.
—Lisa Mascaro, Twin Cities, 22 May 2025
Peter Hill, Forbes.com, 19 May 2025
Critics of the law argue that it is regularly abused for non-environmental reasons to delay urban housing projects which are inherently better for the environment than sprawl development.
—Ben Christopher, Mercury News, 16 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for sprawl
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Verb
Photo : Celeste Godoy The open-plan main living area sprawls across the third story.
—Demetrius Simms, Robb Report, 23 May 2025
Republicans insisted their sprawling 1,000-page-plus package was what voters sent them to Congress — and Trump to the White House — to accomplish.
—Lisa Mascaro, Twin Cities, 22 May 2025
Noun
Identity sprawl, hybrid IT complexity, the convergence of OT and IT and the limitations of traditional IAM solutions have left enterprises exposed.
—Peter Hill, Forbes.com, 19 May 2025
Critics of the law argue that it is regularly abused for non-environmental reasons to delay urban housing projects which are inherently better for the environment than sprawl development.
—Ben Christopher, Mercury News, 16 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for sprawl
Cite this Entry
“Sprawl.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sprawl. Accessed 3 Jun. 2025.
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