verb

sprawl

verb

To sit or lie with the arms and legs spread out carelessly.

"He sprawled across the sofa after the long shift."

"The cat sprawled out in a patch of sun."

noun

Unplanned, spread-out growth of buildings, especially on the outskirts of a city.

"The report warned about urban sprawl eating into farmland."

How to Use Sprawl

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishEither lying loosely spread out, or an untidy, spread-out expansion (usually of a city).

Common pairings

urban sprawl sprawl across the bed suburban sprawl

sprawled past tense, sprawls plural, sprawls singular

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He _____ across the sofa after the long shift.

From Old English spreawlian ("to move convulsively"), related to "sprout".

bawl trawl crawl shawl brawl