| 释义 |
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2024sprawl /sprɔl/USA pronunciation v. - to stretch or spread out (the legs) such as when sitting or lying: [no object]She sprawled on the couch.[~ + object]She sprawled her leg over his knee and trapped him.
- to be spread out or distributed irregularly or awkwardly:[no object]The city sprawls for a few more miles then stops abruptly.
n. [uncountable] - an act or instance of sprawling:The problem of urban sprawl gets worse because of the poor transportation systems.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2024sprawl (sprôl),USA pronunciation v.i. - to be stretched or spread out in an unnatural or ungraceful manner:The puppy's legs sprawled in all directions.
- to sit or lie in a relaxed position with the limbs spread out carelessly or ungracefully:He sprawled across the bed.
- to spread out, extend, or be distributed in a straggling or irregular manner, as vines, buildings, handwriting, etc.
- to crawl awkwardly with the aid of all the limbs;
scramble.
v.t. - to stretch out (the limbs) as in sprawling.
- to spread out or distribute in a straggling manner.
n. - the act or an instance of sprawling;
a sprawling posture. - a straggling array of something.
- bef. 1000; Middle English spraulen to move awkwardly, Old English spreawlian; cognate with Frisian (north, northern dialect, dialectal) spraweli
- 3.See corresponding entry in Unabridged straggle, branch.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers:: sprawl /sprɔːl/ vb - (intransitive) to sit or lie in an ungainly manner with one's limbs spread out
- to fall down or knock down with the limbs spread out in an ungainly way
- to spread out or cause to spread out in a straggling fashion: his handwriting sprawled all over the paper
n - the act or an instance of sprawling
- a sprawling posture or arrangement of items
- the urban area formed by the expansion of a town or city into surrounding countryside: the urban sprawl
- the process by which this has happened
Etymology: Old English spreawlian; related to Old English spryttan to sprout, spurt, Greek speirein to scatterˈsprawly adj |