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sprawl

sprawl [ sprawl ]


intransitive verb  (past and past participle sprawled, present participle sprawl·ing, 3rd person present singular sprawls)
Definition:
 
1. sit or lie awkwardly: to sit or lie with the arms and legs spread awkwardly in different directions

2. extend in disordered way: to extend over or across something in a disordered, awkward, or ugly way
handwritten notes sprawled across the page



noun  (plural sprawls)
Definition:
 
1. awkward sitting or lying position: a sitting or lying position in which the arms and legs are spread out awkwardly

2. unchecked growth of urban area: the scattered, unplanned, and unchecked expansion of a town or city into the surrounding countryside

3. urbanized areas on city's edge: the urbanized areas on the edge of a town or city that have developed as a result of unplanned and unchecked expansion

[ Old English sprēawlian "move convulsively" < Indo-European, "strew"]

sprawl·er noun
sprawl·ing adjective
spraw·ly adjective
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