sprawl

[ sprawl ]

/ sprɔl /

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See synonyms for: sprawl / sprawled / sprawling on Thesaurus.com

verb (used without object)

to be stretched or spread out in an unnatural or ungraceful manner: The puppy's legs sprawled in all directions.

to sit or lie in a relaxed position with the limbs spread out carelessly or ungracefully: He sprawled across the bed.

to spread out, extend, or be distributed in a straggling or irregular manner, as vines, buildings, handwriting, etc.

to crawl awkwardly with the aid of all the limbs; scramble.

verb (used with object)

to stretch out (the limbs) as in sprawling.

to spread out or distribute in a straggling manner.

noun

the act or an instance of sprawling; a sprawling posture.

a straggling array of something.

OTHER WORDS FOR sprawl

3 straggle, branch.

See synonyms for sprawl on Thesaurus.com

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Origin of sprawl

before 1000; Middle English spraulen to move awkwardly, Old English spreawlian; cognate with Frisian (N dial.) spraweli

OTHER WORDS FROM sprawl

sprawler, nounsprawl·ing·ly, adverb

Words nearby sprawl

spraint, sprang, sprat, Spratly Islands, sprattle, sprawl, sprawly, spray, spray can, spray gun, spray millet

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use sprawl in a sentence

During the 1980s, urban sprawl and increased outdoor recreation meant that humans and bears were interacting more and more.
These Bears Have a Job, and It's Destroying Coolers|Emma Walker|October 9, 2020|Outside Online
Depending on who you ask, it represents sprawl or badly needed units that will satisfy the city’s larger housing goals.
Morning Report: A New Twist in the Navigation Center Saga|Voice of San Diego|October 1, 2020|Voice of San Diego
Martinek also said he believes there is enough space for infill development throughout the city that will help Oceanside meet its housing requirements rather than a project that contributes to urban sprawl.
North County Report: North River Farms and More Big Politifest Convos|Kayla Jimenez|September 30, 2020|Voice of San Diego
One of the major problems was that the county allowed sprawl developers to offset projects by purchasing carbon offsets in international markets, which have little oversight or accountability.
Morning Report: Key Decisions Fueled COVID’s Spread in Downtown Jail|Voice of San Diego|September 29, 2020|Voice of San Diego

In 2009, county planners rejected the project, saying it was out of step with the county’s plan to concentrate housing development in village areas, rather than maintaining the county’s patterns of sprawl.
Morning Report: Lilac Hills Is Back (Again)|Voice of San Diego|June 24, 2020|Voice of San Diego
“To minimize sprawl” has become a bedrock catchphrase of the core political ideology.
The Progressives’ War on Suburbia|Joel Kotkin|November 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Obama and the Democrats have embraced the argument that suburbs and sprawl are bad for you.
The Progressives’ War on Suburbia|Joel Kotkin|November 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Auto factories tend to sprawl horizontally over huge lots, and have flat roofs.
Charging Up|The Daily Beast|October 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The goal, of course, is to facilitate ever more densification of urban areas and to rein in the dreaded suburban “sprawl.”
Are Millennials Turning Their Backs on the American Dream?|Joel Kotkin|November 10, 2013|DAILY BEAST
And when it comes to muddling through the ever-expanding sprawl of the Internet, you can never have too many tricks.
13 Hacks to Improve Your Google Search|Nina Strochlic|September 15, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The grass still made a carpet over its roots, inviting me to sprawl at full length and renew our voiceless communion.
The Red Cow and Her Friends|Peter McArthur
The black man sprang high up into the air, and shot out both his arms and his legs, coming down all a-sprawl among the heather.
The White Company|Arthur Conan Doyle
The movement had stopped, and he was allowed to sprawl on the ground.
Huntingtower|John Buchan
This paragon, though seventy years old, used to dress in baby's clothes and sprawl about upon the floor.
Peeps at Many Lands: Japan|John Finnemore
Even the multiplication table failed here, and at this, variously a-sprawl on the turf beneath, the smaller fry giggled.
Red Cap Tales|Samuel Rutherford Crockett

British Dictionary definitions for sprawl

sprawl

/ (sprɔːl) /

verb

(intr) to sit or lie in an ungainly manner with one's limbs spread out

to fall down or knock down with the limbs spread out in an ungainly way

to spread out or cause to spread out in a straggling fashionhis handwriting sprawled all over the paper

noun

the act or an instance of sprawling

a sprawling posture or arrangement of items

the urban area formed by the expansion of a town or city into surrounding countrysidethe urban sprawl
the process by which this has happened

Derived forms of sprawl

sprawler, nounsprawly, adjective

Word Origin for sprawl

Old English spreawlian; related to Old English spryttan to sprout, spurt, Greek speirein to scatter

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

sprawl

OTHER WORDS FOR sprawl

Origin of sprawl

OTHER WORDS FROM sprawl

Words nearby sprawl

Words related to sprawl

How to use sprawl in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for sprawl

Derived forms of sprawl

Word Origin for sprawl