/ sprɔːl; NAmE / verb , noun
■ verb [ v + adv. / prep. ]
1.
to sit or lie with your arms and legs spread out in a relaxed or awkward way :
He was sprawling in an armchair in front of the TV.
Something hit her and sent her sprawling to the ground.
I tripped and went sprawling .
2.
to spread in an untidy way; to cover a large area :
The town sprawled along the side of the lake.
■ noun
1.
[ C , usually sing. , U ] a large area covered with buildings that spreads from the city into the countryside in an ugly way :
attempts to control the fast-growing urban sprawl
2.
[ C , usually sing. ] an act of spreading to cover a large area in an untidy way; sth that spreads like this
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WORD ORIGIN
Old English spreawlian move the limbs convulsively ; related to Danish sprælle kick or splash about. The noun dates from the early 18th cent.