sprawl
verb (used without object)
to be stretched or spread out in an unnatural or ungraceful manner.
have sprawled
-
present perfectof sprawl.present perfect
Used to describe actions that started in the past and continue into or have direct relevance to the present.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Tent camps have sprawled over any empty piece of land.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 12, 2024
Tech giants in recent years have sprawled across the nation in search of additional — and sometimes cheaper — talent.
From Washington Post ● Feb. 18, 2022
Many stayed, and the camps have sprawled into makeshift cities ringed by barbed-wire fences.
From New York Times ● May 30, 2018
Instead, our central cities have shrunk, our suburbs have sprawled, and we’ve grown dependent on a gargantuan federal highway system that has grown frighteningly expensive.
From Slate ● Jul. 29, 2015
He would have sprawled to the floor, but he caught sight of the pitiful face of his old love still white with the half-death of her swoon.
From In a Little Town by Rupert Hughes
