sprawl
Americanverb (used without object)
-
sprawls,
present (3rd person singular)
-
sprawled,
past participle, past
-
sprawling
present participle
-
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.
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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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sprawls,
present (3rd person singular)
-
sprawled,
past participle, past
-
sprawling
present participle
-
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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sprawls
plural
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the act or an instance of sprawling; a sprawling posture.
-
a straggling array of something.
verb
-
(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
-
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 countryside
the urban sprawl
-
the process by which this has happened
-
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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sprawlsimple
-
sprawlssimple
-
have sprawledperfect
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has sprawledperfect
-
am sprawlingprogressive
-
are sprawlingprogressive
-
is sprawlingprogressive
-
have been sprawlingperfect progressive
-
has been sprawlingperfect progressive
Past
-
sprawledsimple
-
had sprawledperfect
-
was sprawlingprogressive
-
were sprawlingprogressive
-
had been sprawlingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of sprawl
before 1000; Middle English spraulen to move awkwardly, Old English spreawlian; cognate with Frisian (N dial.) spraweli
Explanation
When you sprawl, you spread out in an ungainly way, like when you're lying down comfortably on the sofa with your legs and arms flung out around you. As a noun, the most common use of this word nowadays is in the phrase "urban sprawl" (or "suburban sprawl"), which describes municipal development — things like new neighborhoods, shopping malls, and office complexes — that spreads out of control, according to no approved plan, and usually with pretty ugly results.
Vocabulary lists containing sprawl
The Diary of Anne Frank
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List 3
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The Cay
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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.
See Examples For:
“We really honed in on the data sprawl problem. The lack of visibility to data that the enterprise has, and all the problems that that created.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026
Now about half a million acres are sitting dormant, and other abandoned groves have been absorbed for cattle grazing or Florida’s lucrative development sprawl.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 19, 2026
When I first moved to Los Angeles in 2018 as an arts journalist, people tried to explain to me the appeal of this city’s sprawl, how it shaped the art that was made here.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026
But beneath the sprawl, the movie is essentially a two-man character study.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 20, 2026
Rising four hundred feet over the night-time sprawl of modern Athens, the sheer cliffs were topped with a crown of limestone walls.
From "Blood of Olympus" by Rick Riordan
Disability and sickness payments in the U.K. show how the system sprawls.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 12, 2026
The property sprawls across 20,000 square feet and boasts a media room, a 14,000-gallon aquarium, and several other lavish amenities.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 21, 2026
The luxe dwelling, which was built in 1950, is situated on a 1.5-acre lot mere feet from the beach and sprawls across 2,278 square feet.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 1, 2026
But when you walk up on his roof, a scenic view of his home city sprawls beneath Todd.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 4, 2026
I curl into one of the video game chairs, and Simon sprawls out on the couch.
From "Leah on the Offbeat" by Becky Albertalli
Meanwhile, at a sports hall in Las Rozas de Madrid just outside the capital, the displaced sprawled on camp beds, held their heads in their hands and comforted pets as they awaited news.
From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026
Someone sprawled on the couch reading a book.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 16, 2026
Blue skies extended to the horizon, and a small colony of tents, camper vans and motorhomes sprawled out across the lush alfalfa fields.
From Salon ● Jun. 22, 2026
Behind the Peace River plant, sprawled out across a massive lawn, and behind a chain-link fence, were the ruins of a processing infrastructure.
From Slate ● Apr. 20, 2026
He sprawled languidly in the Warlord’s chair, tilting it and resting his feet on the map-strewn camp table, happy in the knowledge that his destiny was being fulfilled.
From "Redwall" by Brian Jacques
Pepsi’s management, meanwhile, has to run Frito-Lay, a sprawling U.S. drinks business with its own trucks and warehouses, and a fast-growing international arm.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 17, 2026
Watching a new Oscar contender: La Bola Negra is a sprawling Spanish epic that grapples with the links between fascism and homophobia.
From Slate ● Oct. 15, 2026
Jim Carrey is bidding farewell to his sprawling Hawaii waterfront retreat, listing the tropical property for $35 million just days after tying the knot with his longtime partner, Min Ah.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 13, 2026
San Diego County jumped into California’s sprawling ghost gun fight this week, suing a 3-D printing filament manufacturer it says hocks material for homespun firearms in violation of state law.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 10, 2026
On the last circle the beast caught him a glancing blow with one of its back hoofs and sent him sprawling.
From "Black Star, Bright Dawn" by Scott O'Dell
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
