Yahoo Canada Web Search

Search results

1. Dictionary

   sprawl

   /sprɔːl/

   verb

   • 1. sit, lie, or fall with one's arms and legs spread out in an ungainly way: "the door shot open, sending him sprawling across the pavement" Similar stretch outloungelolllielie downlie backreclinedrape oneselfbe recumbentbe prostratebe supineslumpflopslouch
   • ▪ spread out over a large area in an untidy or irregular way: "the town sprawled along several miles of cliff top" Similar spreadstretchstragglerambletrailspill

   noun

   • 1. an ungainly or carelessly relaxed position in which one's arms and legs are spread out: "she fell into a sort of luxurious sprawl"
   • ▪ a group or mass of something that has spread out in an untidy or irregular way: "a sprawl of buildings"
   • ▪ the disorganized and unattractive expansion of an urban or industrial area into the adjoining countryside: "the growth of urban sprawl"

   Word Origin Old Englishspreawlian ‘move the limbs convulsively’; related to Danish sprælle ‘kick or splash about’. The noun dates from the early 18th century.

   Scrabble Points: 11

   • S

     1

   • P

     3

   • R

     1

   • A

     1

   • W

     4

   • L

     1

   Powered by Oxford Dictionaries

   More definitions, origin and scrabble points