noun · neutral
sprawl
/sprɔːl/SPRAWL
Band 5-6task2speaking
the uncontrolled spreading of urban development into neighbouring rural areas
Examples
“Urban sprawl has increased commuting times and destroyed agricultural land.”
“Critics argue that sprawl leads to car dependence.”
“Policies to limit sprawl include stronger land-use planning.”
Band 8 sentence
“To prevent further sprawl, the council proposed higher-density housing near existing transport hubs.”
Collocations
- urban sprawl
- suburban sprawl
- sprawling suburbs
Word family
sprawl nounsprawl verbsprawling adjective/participle
Common mistakes
a sprawl→sprawl
sprawls→sprawl
Say it for a higher band
5expansion→6growth→7+sprawl
Synonyms
expansion
Easily confused
expansion
“The rapid expansion of the business improved local employment.”
Related words
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In City & Urban life
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