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v. sprawled, sprawl·ing, sprawls v.intr. 1. To sit or lie with the body and limbs spread out awkwardly. 2. To spread out in a straggling or disordered fashion: untidy tenements sprawling toward the river. v.tr. To cause to spread out in a straggling or disordered fashion. n. 1. A sprawling position or posture. 2. A usually disorderly or haphazard mass, array, or extension: a sprawl of outbuildings; urban sprawl. [Middle English sprawlen, from Old English sprēawlian, to writhe; see sper- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.] sprawler n. |
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