sprawling
sprawling — 形容詞
- sprawlingpositive
- more sprawlingcomparative
- most sprawlingsuperlative
1. used to describe a city or built-up area that covers an extremely large amount o
蔓延擴張的
城市或建築區大規模無序擴展
used to describe a city or built-up area that covers an extremely large amount of land, often because buildings and houses have been added over time without a central plan.
The sprawling city of Mexico City stretches for miles in every direction.
墨西哥城這座蔓延擴張的城市，向四面八方延伸好幾英里。
sprawling city of [place] + distance phrase
Lara's university sits on a sprawling campus with over two hundred buildings.
Lara 的大學坐落在一片遼闊的校園，有超過兩百棟建築物。
Sprawling suburbs now cover what used to be farmland and forest.
蔓延擴張的郊區如今覆蓋了昔日的農田和森林。
sprawling suburbs: attributive before noun
The Wang family got lost twice driving through the sprawling new development zone.
Wang 一家開車穿過那片蔓延擴張的新開發區時迷路了兩次。
Jakarta is a sprawling capital where high-rise towers stand next to old kampung houses.
雅加達是一座無規劃擴張的首都，高樓大廈與傳統 kampung 房屋比鄰而立。
sprawling capital: collocation with capital/city/metropolis
- sprawling city
- sprawling suburb
- sprawling campus
- sprawling metropolis
- sprawling complex
- spread-out
less formal, describes the same large-area layout
- expansive
more neutral/positive, can describe grand open spaces
- compact
describes a city or area with buildings close together
文法句型
sprawling + noun (city, suburb, campus, metropolis)
常見錯誤
2. growing, spreading, or arranged in an uneven, uncontrolled way that looks messy
雜亂蔓延的
植物或字跡等胡亂散開
growing, spreading, or arranged in an uneven, uncontrolled way that looks messy or lacks order.
Sprawling rose bushes covered the entire wall of the old cottage.
雜亂蔓延的玫瑰花叢覆蓋了那棟老屋的整面牆。
sprawling [plant]: attributive describing untidy growth
The pharmacist squinted at the doctor's sprawling handwriting on the prescription.
藥劑師瞇著眼看醫生在處方箋上潦草難辨的字跡。
sprawling handwriting: figurative use for hard-to-read writing
Vikram noticed sprawling roots from the banyan tree cracking the pavement.
Vikram 注意到榕樹雜亂蔓延的樹根把人行道撐裂了。
The garden was a mess of sprawling weeds that reached up to her knees.
花園裡亂糟糟地長滿了快到她膝蓋高的野草。
- sprawling vines
- sprawling roots
- sprawling handwriting
- sprawling weeds
- sprawling stems
文法句型
sprawling + noun (plant, handwriting, roots)
be + sprawling
用法筆記
Often used for plants (vines, bushes, roots) and figurative extensions such as messy handwriting. Less commonly used for objects that are simply disorganized — use 'scattered' or 'messy' instead.
sprawling — 動詞
- sprawlingpresent simple I / you / we / they
- sprawlings3rd person singular
- sprawlinging-ing form
- sprawlingedpast simple
1. to sit or lie down with your arms and legs stretched out loosely, especially in
伸展四肢
放鬆地伸展手腳坐下或躺下
to sit or lie down with your arms and legs stretched out loosely, especially in a relaxed or careless way.
After the long hike, Hugo sprawled on the grass and shut his eyes.
長途健行之後，Hugo 攤開手腳躺在草地上閉上了眼睛。
sprawled on [surface]: typical preposition
The old cat sprawled across the sofa cushion, taking up the whole seat.
那隻老貓四腳攤開地趴在沙發墊上，佔據了整張位子。
sprawled across [surface]: occupying space lazily
Mei found her brother sprawled in front of the television with a bag of chips.
Mei 發現她弟弟攤開手腳躺在電視機前，旁邊放著一包洋芋片。
Sophia sprawled on her bed and scrolled through messages on her phone.
Sophia 攤開手腳躺在床上，滑著手機上的訊息。
The children sprawled on the living room floor, drawing dinosaurs with crayons.
孩子們攤開手腳趴在客廳地板上，用蠟筆畫恐龍。
- sprawl on the sofa
- sprawl on the grass
- sprawl across the bed
- sprawl in an armchair
文法句型
sprawl + adverb/preposition (on, across, in, over)
用法筆記
Commonly used with prepositions like 'on', 'across', or 'in' to describe the surface or location. The past participle 'sprawled' is frequently used as an adjective (e.g. 'He was sprawled on the couch').
常見錯誤
2. to spread out across a wide area in an uneven, unplanned way — used especially f
蔓延擴展
城市或植物等不受控制地擴張
to spread out across a wide area in an uneven, unplanned way — used especially for cities, towns, plants, and climbing vegetation.
The city has sprawled far beyond its original boundaries over the last thirty years.
這座城市在過去三十年間已遠遠蔓延擴展到最初的邊界之外。
city sprawls beyond [boundaries]: describing uncontrolled urban growth
Climbing roses sprawled over the stone wall and hung down into the garden.
攀緣玫瑰蔓延過石牆，垂掛到花園裡。
New housing developments sprawled across the hillsides, replacing forests with rooftops.
新建住宅區蔓延擴展到山坡上，屋頂取代了森林。
The suburbs continue to sprawl further into the countryside each year.
郊區每年都繼續向鄉間蔓延擴展。
sprawl into [the countryside]: directional pattern
- sprawl outward
- sprawl across
- sprawl over
- sprawl into
- sprawl beyond
- expand
more neutral; does not suggest disorganization
- spread out
slightly less formal, similar meaning
- contract
to become smaller in area
文法句型
sprawl + adverb/preposition (over, across, into, outward)
用法筆記
Often used with 'outward', 'over', or 'beyond' to emphasize the direction or scope of expansion. The noun 'sprawl' (e.g. 'urban sprawl') is the nominalized form of this sense.
常見錯誤
3. to spread or scatter objects over a surface in a messy, careless way, without ar
胡亂攤放
把物品隨便散放在表面上
to spread or scatter objects over a surface in a messy, careless way, without arranging them neatly.
Chiara had sprawled her study notes across the entire dining table.
Chiara 把她的讀書筆記胡亂攤放在整張餐桌上。
sprawled [objects] across [surface]: transitive pattern
The toddler sprawled her crayons and toys all over the living room floor.
學步的小孩把蠟筆和玩具胡亂攤放在客廳地板上。
Selim sprawled his coat and bag on the bench before sitting down with a sigh.
Selim 把外套和包包胡亂攤放在長凳上，然後嘆了口氣坐下來。
Papers and books were sprawled across the desk where Dario had been working late.
Dario 熬夜工作的地方，桌面上胡亂攤放著文件和書本。
passive: were sprawled across [surface]
- sprawl papers across
- sprawl clothes on
- sprawl belongings over
文法句型
sprawl + object + adverb/preposition (across, over, on)
用法筆記
Typically used with a preposition phrase ('across', 'over', 'on') that describes the surface. Less common than 'spread' or 'scatter' — use only when the messiness or carelessness is the focus.