sprawl out
1. To lie or recline with one's arms and legs spread out awkwardly or lazily. Could you not sprawl out like that—you're taking up half the sofa! The kids have been sprawled out in front of the television all morning.
2. To be spread or scattered around, especially in a disorganized or haphazard manner. Nuts, bolts, and various parts sprawled out around the mechanic as he dug deeper into the engine looking for the cause of the problem. Farm houses sprawl out for miles way out here.
3. To spread or scatter something out on a surface, especially in a disorganized or haphazard manner. A noun or pronoun can be used between "sprawl" and "out." You'd lose stuff a lot less if you quit sprawling your papers all over your desk like that. I like to sprawl out all the stuff I plan to take on a trip before I start packing anything. They really sprawled the neighborhoods out in this part of town, and there's no real sense of community as a result.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
sprawl out
v.1. To cause something to spread out in a straggling or disordered fashion: The detective sprawled the evidence out on the desk. The mechanic sprawled out the parts so that they would be easy to find. My papers are sprawled out on the desk.
2. To be spread out in a straggling or disordered fashion: Shoddy apartment buildings sprawled out across the valley.
3. To sit or lie with the body and limbs spread out awkwardly: I sprawled out on the chair, but I sat up straight when my mother walked into the room.
4. To extend oneself when lying down or sitting so that the body and limbs spread out awkwardly: I yawned and sprawled myself out in the hammock. The security guard is sprawled out in the chair, fast asleep.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Phrasal Verbs. Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.