sprawl
verb
\ ËsprÈŻl
\
\
sprawled;
sprawling;
sprawls
Definition of sprawl
(Entry 1 of 2)
1a
archaic
: to lie thrashing or tossing about
b
: to creep or clamber awkwardly
2
: to lie or sit with arms and legs spread out
3
: to spread or develop irregularly or without restraint
bushes sprawling along the road sprawling suburbs a sprawling narrative
: to cause to spread out carelessly or awkwardly
sprawled out her books on the table
sprawl
nounDefinition of sprawl (Entry 2 of 2)
1
: the act, posture, or condition of sprawling
2
: an irregularly spread or scattered group or mass
3
: urban sprawl
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
Carucciâs bodyâare included in the series alongside pictures of her family: kids in early adolescence crying or laughing; three generations sprawled on the couch. — Kristen Roupenian, The New Yorker, "A Photographerâs Intimate Self-Portrait of Womanhood in Middle Age," 4 Sep. 2019 Fortunately, two bicyclists passing by noticed him sprawled on the ground and stopped to help and to call 911. — Martin E. Comas, orlandosentinel.com, "After runnerâs heart attack, Seminole officials look to put location markers on recreational trails," 22 Aug. 2019 The new photo, shared on Instagram over the weekend, shows the Bronx queen sprawled out on a mesh hammock, looking into the distance. — Amber Brenza, Health.com, "J.Lo Just Shared Another Swimsuit Photoâand Her Butt Looks Incredible," 19 Aug. 2019 Her twin sister, Jenna Zak, posted a photograph on Instagram of Erika sprawled on a hospital bed, tubes and IVs hooked up to her seemingly everywhere. — Wayne Drash, CNN, "'Mommy can't do this for much longer': Waiting for a liver transplant, she prepares her family for the worst," 17 Aug. 2019 In the backyard, friends sat around tables with various items from kitchen gadgets to shot glasses and books sprawled on a table that also was for sale. — Saja Hindi, The Denver Post, "Denver business owner âself-deportingâ to Australia as Trump administration takes harder line on employment visas," 12 Aug. 2019 The Taliban suicide bomber who detonated a truck full of explosives on the morning of July 7 was targeting a nondescript building in Ghazni, a sprawling city in eastern Afghanistan. — Fatima Faizi, New York Times, "âItâs Like a Nightmareâ: For Bombing Survivors, Anguish That Wonât Stop," 6 Aug. 2019 So far, the Mexican government has not opened any shelters in Tijuana, even though the approximately 25 official migrant shelters in the sprawling border city are now overflowing. — San Diego Union-Tribune, "Shelter directors feel pinch as more refugees languish in Tijuana," 21 July 2019 In Bangalore, the governmental department that oversees groundwater extraction has just six employees, and thus no earthly way to monitor and enforce the law in this sprawling city. — National Geographic, "Indiaâs water crisis could be helped by better building, planning," 15 July 2019Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
With a sprawl of food vendors all competing for your dollar, why eat an inferior burger, a lackluster taco or a soggy elephant ear? — Anchorage Daily News, "10 things our dining writer canât wait to eat at the Alaska State Fair," 22 Aug. 2019 High demand would immediately force more dates in each continent, and then an additional North American leg, and then a full sprawl of shows in Europe. — Eric Frankenberg, Billboard, "P!nk Enters the Record Books With Final Figures For The Beautiful Trauma World Tour," 20 Aug. 2019 The stars are promenading down the red carpet past the thousands who daily congregate in front of the Palais, the concrete sprawl that serves as the festivalâs headquarters. — New York Times, "The Cannes Film Festival Opens Amid Disruptions," 10 May 2018 Another obstacle: the 4th districtâs geographic sprawl. — Emily Cadei, sacbee, "Democrats fight among themselves as they work to replace Tom McClintock | The Sacramento Bee," 23 Feb. 2018 The speed of sprawl Consider the rapid growth of exurban areas of the United States, where developers continue to plow under farmland in an effort to build affordable homes. — Patrick Sisson, Curbed, "To combat climate change, cities need to tackle sprawl," 8 Aug. 2019 In Oakland, the issue is becoming increasingly apparent as tent encampments sprawl across the cityâs sidewalks, and cars and RVs turned into permanent dwellings line the curbs of neighborhood streets. — Marisa Kendall, The Mercury News, "Oaklandâs homeless population grows 47 percent in two years," 23 July 2019 Front Range runners have all sorts of inviting trails in parks and open spaces to explore, especially at the western edge of the metropolitan sprawl where the plains end and the mountains rise. — John Meyer, The Know, "A beginnerâs guide to trail running in Colorado," 22 July 2019 The greatest threat to wildlife in Africa today is the uncontrolled spread of human sprawl. — New York Times, "Zoos Called It a âRescue.â But Are the Elephants Really Better Off?," 9 July 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'sprawl.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for sprawl
sprawl
verb
English Language Learners Definition of sprawl
(Entry 1 of 2)
: to lie or sit with your arms and legs spread wide apart
: to spread or develop in an uneven or uncontrolled way
sprawl
nounEnglish Language Learners Definition of sprawl (Entry 2 of 2)
: a group of things (such as buildings) that cover an area in an uneven and ugly way
See the full definition for sprawl in the English Language Learners Dictionary
sprawl
verb
\ ËsprÈŻl
\
\
sprawled;
sprawling
Kids Definition of sprawl
(Entry 1 of 2)
1
: to lie or sit with arms and legs spread out
2
: to spread out unevenly
The city of Madison sprawls between two lakes ⊗ Sharon Creech, Walk Two Moons
sprawl
nounKids Definition of sprawl (Entry 2 of 2)
: the act or posture of spreading out
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