sprawl
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.
to stretch out (the limbs) as in sprawling.
to spread out or distribute in a straggling manner.
the act or an instance of sprawling; a sprawling posture.
a straggling array of something.
Origin of sprawl
1Other words for sprawl
Other words from sprawl
- sprawler, noun
- sprawl·ing·ly, adverb
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use sprawl in a sentence
Staffing has been a particular struggle for HammerDown, the destination smokehouse on a stretch of rural Virginia highway that looks to be losing a battle with suburban sprawl.
Similarly, Capretz said she hopes the new board puts a stop to all planned sprawl development still percolating in the county’s planning system.
Welcome to a Dem-Controlled County | Jesse Marx and Maya Srikrishnan | November 4, 2020 | Voice of San DiegoIf elections are a technology, then the machine consists of an enormous sprawl of moving parts that goes well beyond what most people realize.
How Wisconsin’s slowed-down mail could decide the election | Bobbie Johnson | October 27, 2020 | MIT Technology ReviewSONGS, sandwiched into the narrow strip between the sea and the highway that connects the urban sprawls of San Diego and Los Angeles, began operations in the late 1960s and churned out carbon-free energy for decades.
Finding homes for the waste that will (probably) outlive humanity | Katie McLean | October 21, 2020 | MIT Technology ReviewMayor Kevin Faulconer announced a plan earlier this year to densify development and cut back on urban sprawl, though the City Council has not yet taken it up for approval.
The Climate Problem Facing Coastal Building Height Limits | MacKenzie Elmer | October 20, 2020 | Voice of San Diego
A shot rang out as Brinsley took his own life, sprawling with the gun at his side.
He presides over a sprawling media and sports empire that spans from the Lakers to The Chronicles of Narnia.
The Right-Wing Billionaire Who Bowed to North Korea over ‘The Interview’ | Asawin Suebsaeng | December 19, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTNow, AIG was a huge, sprawling company, with lots of assets and decent insurance businesses, especially in Asia.
Remember the $182 Billion AIG Bailout? It Just Wasn’t Generous Enough | Daniel Gross | October 15, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTInherent Vice brings you a sprawling, unobstructed narrative, and then asks you to savor as much as you can.
There Will Be Spliffs: ‘Inherent Vice’ Is a Bizarro Stoner Noir | Alex Suskind | October 5, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTOr have you delved into the sprawling waters of spin-offs, like Dating Naked, maybe?
'SNL' Star Kate McKinnon's Big, 'Awesome,' Emmy-Nominated Year | Kevin Fallon | August 19, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThe lazy giant was sprawling on the most comfortable of the sofas; the pair were alone in the dainty little drawing-room.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume I (of 3) | Charles James WillsSprawling was lazy and wore out sofas, and little boys were not expected to talk.
Kipling Stories and Poems Every Child Should Know, Book II | Rudyard KiplingA few minutes later Romanoff was sprawling in a large easy-chair with his feet close to the fire.
The Everlasting Arms | Joseph HockingWoot went sailing through the air and fell sprawling upon the rocky floor far beyond the place where the Dragon Tribe was grouped.
The Tin Woodman of Oz | L. Frank BaumSprawling across the table, his huge head lying upon his hands, she beheld the Chief Factor, mumbling in incoherent phrases.
Menotah | Ernest G. Henham
British Dictionary definitions for sprawl
/ (sprɔːl) /
(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 fashion: his handwriting sprawled all over the paper
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
Origin of sprawl
1Derived forms of sprawl
- sprawler, noun
- sprawly, adjective
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
Browse