sprawl

sprawl Definition

sprawl (sprôl)

intransitive verb

1. to spread the limbs in a relaxed, awkward, or unnatural position
2. to sit or lie in such a position to sprawl in a chair
to crawl in an awkward, ungainly way
to spread out in an awkward or uneven way, esp. so as to take up more space than is necessary, as handwriting, a line of men, etc.

Etymology: ME spraulen < OE spreawlian, to move convulsively: see sprout

transitive verb

to cause to sprawl

noun

a sprawling movement or position
1. the unchecked, uncoordinated spread of real-estate development into areas on the outskirts of a city, regarded as undesirable
2. the buildings and infrastructure resulting from this

sprawl Related Forms

sprawl′er noun sprawl′y adjective sprawl′i·er, sprawl′i·est

sprawl Synonyms

stretch out, spread out, slouch, relax, lounge; see also lie 3, sit 1.

sprawl Usage Examples

Object

estate: At the top end of the range you can purchase sit-on or ride-on mowers, perfect for very large gardens and sprawling country estates.

Preposition: on

sofa: In the living room I find several teenagers sprawled on sofas watching MTV.
floor: The Dutchman was left sprawling on the floor only to be booked for diving.
bed: By the time we got home i was so hot i had to just sprawl on the bed.
ground: He was astonished to see the lane empty save for three men sprawling absurdly on the ground.

Adjective modifier

suburban: The scramble out of the cities into the suburban sprawl with massive soulless housing estates on out of town greenfield sites.
urban: Urban sprawl The car has also given rise to urban sprawl.
unrestricted: The primary function of the Green Belt is to check unrestricted sprawl.
vast: Despite its imposing skyline, Frankfurt itself has not suffered from vast urban sprawl like other European cities.
huge: Imagine trying to create an urban beach amid the huge sprawl of the NEC in Birmingham.

Converse of object

prevent: Shadow planning minister John Hayes accused the Government of failing to prevent urban sprawl.
stop: The Green Party has discovered that Knowsley has not kept to the rules to stop the housing sprawl.
check: The primary function of the Green Belt is to check unrestricted sprawl.
avoid: This approach needs to be worked out carefully to avoid urban sprawl.
contain: Q. What were the Victorian ideas for containing sprawl and encouraging growth?

Modifying Another Word

Preposition: across

floor: George, by now, was in position at the sound deck, sprawled across the floor in the bay of the upstairs window.

Preposition: of

city: Wide commons and dense woodlands offer a sharp contrast to the urban sprawl of the nearby city.

Noun used with modifier

server: The resulting server sprawl is costly in terms of capital and people needed to operate, manage, and upgrade new servers.
city: In the cities sprawl increasingly " Gangs " which defend their areas with brutal force against intruders.

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