sprawl
Americanverb (used without object)
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to be stretched or spread out in an unnatural or ungraceful manner.
The puppy's legs sprawled in all directions.
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to sit or lie in a relaxed position with the limbs spread out carelessly or ungracefully.
He sprawled across the bed.
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to spread out, extend, or be distributed in a straggling or irregular manner, as vines, buildings, handwriting, etc.
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to crawl awkwardly with the aid of all the limbs; scramble.
verb (used with object)
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to stretch out (the limbs) as in sprawling.
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to spread out or distribute in a straggling manner.
noun
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the act or an instance of sprawling; a sprawling posture.
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a straggling array of something.
verb
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(intr) to sit or lie in an ungainly manner with one's limbs spread out
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to fall down or knock down with the limbs spread out in an ungainly way
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to spread out or cause to spread out in a straggling fashion
his handwriting sprawled all over the paper
noun
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the act or an instance of sprawling
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a sprawling posture or arrangement of items
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the urban area formed by the expansion of a town or city into surrounding countryside
the urban sprawl
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the process by which this has happened
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Other Word Forms
- sprawler noun
- sprawlingly adverb
- sprawly adjective
Etymology
Origin of sprawl
before 1000; Middle English spraulen to move awkwardly, Old English spreawlian; cognate with Frisian (N dial.) spraweli
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.
Set apart from “normal” citizens for our own protection and theirs, our gated, walled, and closely guarded campus complex sprawled across an entire island in the middle of the ocean.
From Literature
Moody sprawled still on the turf, his arms limp by his side.
From BBC
Guests were invited to watch as models sprawled across a pool table decorated in white leopard print, wearing outfits to match the playful aesthetic.
From BBC
She was screaming it directly into his ear, because she was sprawled on the ground beside him.
From Literature
On its deck, a man lay sprawled like a boxer who’d lost a fight.
From Literature
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
