spread - Definition | Dictionary definition of spread

Definition of spread

Verbs

distribute or disperse widely

"The invaders spread their language all over the country"

Synonyms:: distribute

Antonyms:: gather
assemble or get together; collect, garner, pull together; show more antonyms...

Types:: show 21 types...; hide 21 types...; generalise, generalize
become systemic and spread throughout the body; metastasise, metastasize
spread throughout the body; discharge
pour forth or release; eject, force out, squeeze out, squirt
cause to come out in a squirt; disperse, dot, dust, scatter, sprinkle
distribute loosely; play
discharge or direct or be discharged or directed as if in a continuous stream; volley
discharge in, or as if in, a volley; straw, strew
spread by scattering ("straw" is archaic); bestrew
cover by strewing; litter
make a place messy by strewing garbage around; export
cause to spread in another part of the world; propagate
transmit or cause to broaden or spread; deploy
to distribute systematically or strategically; redeploy
deploy anew; redistribute
distribute anew; sprawl, straggle
go, come, or spread in a rambling or irregular way; diffuse, fan out, spread, spread out
move outward; percolate
spread gradually; creep
grow or spread, often in such a way as to cover (a surface); bleed, run
be diffused; mantle
spread over a surface, like a mantle

become distributed or widespread

"the infection spread"

"Optimism spread among the population"

Synonyms:: propagate

Types:: catch
spread or be communicated

Type of:: move
move so as to change position, perform a nontranslational motion

spread across or over

"A big oil spot spread across the water"

Synonyms:: overspread

Types:: transgress
spread over land, especially along a subsiding shoreline

Type of:: continue, cover, extend
span an interval of distance, space or time

spread out or open from a closed or folded state

"spread your arms"

Synonyms:: open, spread out, unfold

Antonyms:: fold
bend or lay so that one part covers the other; fold up, turn up; show more antonyms...

Types:: show 6 types...; hide 6 types...; divaricate
spread apart; exfoliate
spread by opening the leaves of; grass
spread out clothes on the grass to let it dry and bleach; butterfly
cut and spread open, as in preparation for cooking; uncross
change from a crossed to an uncrossed position; splay
spread open or apart

Type of:: undo
cancel, annul, or reverse an action or its effect

cause to become widely known

"spread information"

Synonyms:: broadcast, circularise, circularize, circulate, diffuse, disperse, disseminate, distribute, pass around, propagate; go around
become widely known and passed on

Types:: show 4 types...; hide 4 types...; podcast
distribute (multimedia files) over the internet for playback on a mobile device or a personal computer; sow
introduce into an environment; generalise, generalize, popularise, popularize, vulgarise, vulgarize
cater to popular taste to make popular and present to the general public; bring into general or common use; carry, run
include as the content; broadcast or publicize

Type of:: air, bare, publicise, publicize
make public

become widely known and passed on

"the rumor spread"

Synonyms:: circulate, go around; broadcast, circularise, circularize, diffuse, disperse, disseminate, distribute, pass around, propagate
cause to become widely known

Type of:: go, locomote, move, travel
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically

strew or distribute over an area

"He spread fertilizer over the lawn"

Synonyms:: scatter, spread out

Types:: show 4 types...; hide 4 types...; manure, muck
spread manure, as for fertilization; birdlime, lime
spread birdlime on branches to catch birds; circumfuse
spread something around something; distribute
spread throughout a given area

Type of:: circulate, distribute, pass around, pass on
cause be distributed

move outward

Synonyms:: diffuse, fan out, spread out

Types:: show 5 types...; hide 5 types...; percolate
spread gradually; creep
grow or spread, often in such a way as to cover (a surface); bleed, run
be diffused; crock
release color when rubbed, of badly dyed fabric; mantle
spread over a surface, like a mantle

Type of:: distribute, spread
distribute or disperse widely

cover by spreading something over

"spread the bread with cheese"

Types:: slather
spread thickly

Type of:: cover
provide with a covering or cause to be covered

distribute over a surface in a layer

"spread cheese on a piece of bread"

Nouns

process or result of distributing or extending over a wide expanse of space

Synonyms:: spreading

Types:: show 8 types...; hide 8 types...; diffusion
the spread of social institutions (and myths and skills) from one society to another; dispersion, scattering
spreading widely or driving off; Diaspora
the dispersion of the Jews outside Israel; from the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem in 587-86 BC when they were exiled to Babylonia up to the present time; dissipation
breaking up and scattering by dispersion; invasion
(pathology) the spread of pathogenic microorganisms or malignant cells to new sites in the body; irradiation
(physiology) the spread of sensory neural impulses in the cortex; radiation
the spread of a group of organisms into new habitats; adaptive radiation
the development of many different forms from an originally homogeneous group of organisms as they fill different ecological niches

Type of:: change of location, travel
a movement through space that changes the location of something

a conspicuous disparity or difference as between two figures

"the spread between lending and borrowing costs"

Synonyms:: gap

Type of:: disparity
inequality or difference in some respect

farm consisting of a large tract of land along with facilities needed to raise livestock (especially cattle)

Synonyms:: cattle farm, cattle ranch, ranch

Type of:: farm
workplace consisting of farm buildings and cultivated land as a unit

a haphazard distribution in all directions

Synonyms:: scatter

Types:: diffuseness
the spatial property of being spread out over a wide area or through a large volume

Type of:: dispersion, distribution
the spatial or geographic property of being scattered about over a range, area, or volume

a tasty mixture to be spread on bread or crackers or used in preparing other dishes

Synonyms:: paste

Types:: show 20 types...; hide 20 types...; margarin, margarine, marge, oleo, oleomargarine
a spread made chiefly from vegetable oils and used as a substitute for butter; stick
a rectangular quarter pound block of butter or margarine; nut butter
ground nuts blended with a little butter; peanut butter
a spread made from ground peanuts; marshmallow fluff
a very sweet white spread resembling marshmallow candy; onion butter
butter blended with minced onion; pimento butter
butter blended with mashed pimento; shrimp butter
butter blended with chopped shrimp or seasoned with essence from shrimp shells; lobster butter
butter blended with chopped lobster or seasoned with essence from lobster shells; cheese spread
spread made of cheese mixed with butter or cream or cream cheese and seasonings; anchovy butter
butter blended with mashed anchovies; fishpaste
a paste of fish or shellfish; garlic butter
butter seasoned with mashed garlic; miso
a thick paste made from fermented soybeans and barley or rice malt; used in Japanese cooking to make soups or sauces; hommos, hoummos, hummus, humous, humus
a thick spread made from mashed chickpeas, tahini, lemon juice and garlic; used especially as a dip for pita; originated in the Middle East; pate
liver or meat or fowl finely minced or ground and variously seasoned; duck pate
a pate made from duck liver; foie gras, pate de foie gras
a pate made from goose liver (marinated in Cognac) and truffles; tapenade
a spread consisting of capers and black olives and anchovies made into a puree with olive oil; tahini
a thick Middle Eastern paste made from ground sesame seeds

Type of:: condiment
a preparation (a sauce or relish or spice) to enhance flavor or enjoyment

a meal that is well prepared and greatly enjoyed

"they put out quite a spread"

Synonyms:: banquet, feast

Type of:: meal, repast
the food served and eaten at one time

two facing pages of a book or other publication

Synonyms:: facing pages, spread head, spreadhead

Types:: center spread, centre spread
the spread at the center of a magazine; centerfold, centrefold
a magazine center spread; especially a foldout of a large photograph or map or other feature

Type of:: page
one side of one leaf (of a book or magazine or newspaper or letter etc.) or the written or pictorial matter it contains

the expansion of a person's girth (especially at middle age)

"she exercised to avoid that middle-aged spread"

Type of:: girth
the distance around a person's body

decorative cover for a bed

Synonyms:: bed cover, bed covering, bedcover, bedspread, counterpane

Types:: coverlet
a decorative bedspread (usually quilted); quilted bedspread
a bedspread constructed like a thin quilt

Type of:: bed clothing, bedclothes, bedding
coverings that are used on a bed

act of extending over a wider scope or expanse of space or time

Synonyms:: spreading

Types:: show 6 types...; hide 6 types...; circulation
the spread or transmission of something (as news or money) to a wider group or area; recirculation
circulation again; diffusion, dispersal, dispersion, dissemination
the act of dispersing or diffusing something; crop-dusting, spraying
the dispersion of fungicides or insecticides or fertilizer on growing crops (often from a low-flying aircraft); scatter, scattering, strewing
the act of scattering; decentralisation, decentralization
the spread of power away from the center to local branches or governments