What does "sprawl" mean?
An ungainly sprawling posture.
Sprawl
/spɹɔl/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: An ungainly sprawling posture.
- Grammar: sprawl is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: accubation, accumbency, be lengthy, be prolonged.
- Useful contrasts: fastigiate, urban design, beautification.
- Usage evidence: We must stop urban sprawl and fight against physical segregation while still guaranteeing the right to housing.
How to use "sprawl"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "sprawl" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "sprawl" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "sprawl" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "sprawl" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "sprawl" is acting as noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "accubation" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "sprawl", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 An ungainly sprawling posture. countable, uncountable
- 2 an ungainly posture with arms and legs spread about wordnet
- 3 A straggling, haphazard growth, especially of housing on the edge of a city. countable, uncountable
"He briefly compares the relative merits of providing for that growth by the usual method of urban sprawl and by directing it into suburban satellite communities with the integrity preserved and comes out strongly for the latter method."
- 4 an aggregation or continuous network of urban communities wordnet
- 5 A defensive technique that is done in response to certain takedown attempts, where one scoots the legs backwards so as to land on the upper back of the opponent. countable, uncountable
Verb
- 1 To sit with the limbs spread out.
"There was no special place for him or his little affairs, and he was forbidden to sprawl on sofas and explain his ideas about the manufacture of this world and his hopes for the future. Sprawling was lazy and wore out sofas, and little boys were not expected to talk."
- 2 sit or lie with one's limbs spread out wordnet
- 3 To spread out in a disorderly fashion; to straggle.
"The hatched young ones are ſodl to thoſe who breed them up, and theſe try in the following manner whether they are hatched too ſoon or not: they take hold the little ducks by the bill, and their bodies hang down ; if they ſprawl and extend their feet and wings, they are hatched in due time ; but if they have had too much heat, they hang without any ſtruggling."
- 4 go, come, or spread in a rambling or irregular way wordnet
- 5 To scoot the legs backwards, so as to land on the upper back of an opponent attempting a takedown.
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"We must stop urban sprawl and fight against physical segregation while still guaranteeing the right to housing."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "sprawl"?
Common synonyms include: accubation, accumbency, be lengthy, be prolonged, bed, bed down.
How do you use "sprawl" in a sentence?
We must stop urban sprawl and fight against physical segregation while still guaranteeing the right to housing.
How do you pronounce "sprawl"?
Pronounced /spɹɔl/.
Etymology
From Middle English spraulen, from Old English spreawlian (“move convulsively”), ultimately through a Proto-Germanic form cognate with *spreutaną (“to sprout”) from Proto-Indo-European *sper- (“to strew”). Compare North Frisian spraweli, Norwegian sprala, Swedish sprala.