spread
Other forms: spreading; spreads
When something is spread, it's stretched or extended as far as it can go. It's a beautiful sight to see a bald eagle spread its wings and fly.
When you spread a picnic blanket on the ground, you open it and stretch it across the grass. You can also see the ocean spread out in front of you, or spread butter on toast, for example. Any way you use it, spread implies an extension across some distance, a stretching of some sort. The expression spread too thin means you are having trouble finding the time and energy to do everything in your life.
Definitions of spread
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distribute or disperse widely“The invaders spread their language all over the country”
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synonyms:
distribute
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Antonyms:
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collect, garner, gather, pull together
assemble or get together
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types:
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generalise, generalize
become systemic and spread throughout the body
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metastasise, metastasize
spread throughout the body
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discharge
pour forth or release
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disseminate, straw, strew
spread by scattering
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export
cause to spread in another part of the world
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propagate
transmit or cause to broaden or spread
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deploy
to distribute systematically or strategically
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redistribute
distribute anew
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sprawl, straggle
go, come, or spread in a rambling or irregular way
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diffuse, fan out, spread out
move outward
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eject, force out, squeeze out, squirt
cause to come out in a squirt
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disperse, dot, dust, scatter, sprinkle
distribute loosely
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play
discharge or direct or be discharged or directed as if in a continuous stream
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volley
discharge in, or as if in, a volley
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bestrew
cover by strewing
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litter
make a place messy by strewing garbage around
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redeploy
deploy anew
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percolate
spread gradually
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creep
grow or spread, often in such a way as to cover (a surface)
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bleed, run
be diffused
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mantle
spread over a surface, like a mantle
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collect, garner, gather, pull together
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strew or distribute over an area“He spread fertilizer over the lawn”
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synonyms:
scatter, spread out
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types:
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manure, muck
spread manure, as for fertilization
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birdlime, lime
spread birdlime on branches to catch birds
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circumfuse
spread something around something
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distribute
spread throughout a given area
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type of:
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circulate, distribute, pass around, pass on
cause to be distributed
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cause to become widely known“spread information”
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synonyms:
broadcast, circularise, circularize, circulate, diffuse, disperse, disseminate, distribute, pass around, propagate
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types:
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podcast
distribute (multimedia files) over the internet for playback on a mobile device or a personal computer
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sow
introduce into an environment
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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
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carry, run
include as the content; broadcast or publicize
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become distributed or widespread
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spread across or over“A big oil spot spread across the water”
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synonyms:
overspread
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types:
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transgress
spread over land, especially along a subsiding shoreline
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transgress
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become widely known and passed on“the rumor spread”
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broadcast, circularise, circularize, circulate, diffuse, disperse, disseminate, distribute, pass around, propagate
cause to become widely known
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broadcast, circularise, circularize, circulate, diffuse, disperse, disseminate, distribute, pass around, propagate
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move outward
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synonyms:
diffuse, fan out, spread out
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types:
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percolate
spread gradually
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creep
grow or spread, often in such a way as to cover (a surface)
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bleed, run
be diffused
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mantle
spread over a surface, like a mantle
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crock
release color when rubbed, of badly dyed fabric
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type of:
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distribute
distribute or disperse widely
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cover by spreading something over
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distribute over a surface in a layer“spread cheese on a piece of bread”
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process or result of distributing or extending over a wide expanse of space
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synonyms:
spreading
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types:
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diffusion
the spread of social institutions (and myths and skills) from one society to another
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dispersion, scattering
spreading widely or driving off
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invasion
(pathology) the spread of pathogenic microorganisms or malignant cells to new sites in the body
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irradiation
(physiology) the spread of sensory neural impulses in the cortex
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radiation
the spread of a group of organisms into new habitats
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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
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dissipation
breaking up and scattering by dispersion
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adaptive radiation
the development of many different forms from an originally homogeneous group of organisms as they fill different ecological niches
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type of:
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change of location, travel
a movement through space that changes the location of something
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act of extending over a wider scope or expanse of space or time
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synonyms:
spreading
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types:
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circulation
the spread or transmission of something (as news or money) to a wider group or area
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diffusion, dispersal, dispersion, dissemination
the act of dispersing or diffusing something
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scatter, scattering, strewing
the act of scattering
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decentralisation, decentralization
the spread of power away from the center to local branches or governments
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recirculation
circulation again
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crop-dusting, spraying
the dispersion of fungicides or insecticides or fertilizer on growing crops (often from a low-flying aircraft)
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type of:
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extension
act of expanding in scope; making more widely available
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a tasty mixture to be spread on bread or crackers or used in preparing other dishes
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synonyms:
paste
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types:
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margarin, margarine, marge, oleo, oleomargarine
a spread made chiefly from vegetable oils and used as a substitute for butter
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nut butter
ground nuts blended with a little butter
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peanut butter
a spread made from ground peanuts
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marshmallow fluff
a very sweet white spread resembling marshmallow candy
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onion butter
butter blended with minced onion
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pimento butter
butter blended with mashed pimento
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shrimp butter
butter blended with chopped shrimp or seasoned with essence from shrimp shells
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lobster butter
butter blended with chopped lobster or seasoned with essence from lobster shells
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cheese spread
spread made of cheese mixed with butter or cream or cream cheese and seasonings
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anchovy butter
butter blended with mashed anchovies
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fishpaste
a paste of fish or shellfish
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garlic butter
butter seasoned with mashed garlic
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miso
a thick paste made from fermented soybeans and barley or rice malt; used in Japanese cooking to make soups or sauces
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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
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pate
liver or meat or fowl finely minced or ground and variously seasoned
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tapenade
a spread consisting of capers and black olives and anchovies made into a puree with olive oil
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tahini
a thick Middle Eastern paste made from ground sesame seeds
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stick
a rectangular quarter pound block of butter or margarine
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duck pate
a pate made from duck liver
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foie gras, pate de foie gras
a pate made from goose liver (marinated in Cognac) and truffles
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type of:
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condiment
a preparation (a sauce or relish or spice) to enhance flavor or enjoyment
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the expansion of a person's girth (especially at middle age)
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type of:
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girth
the distance around a person's body
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girth
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a haphazard distribution in all directions
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synonyms:
scatter
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types:
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diffuseness
the spatial property of being spread out over a wide area or through a large volume
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type of:
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dispersion, distribution
the spatial or geographic property of being scattered about over a range, area, or volume
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diffuseness
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distributed or spread over a considerable extent“eleven million Jews are spread throughout Europe”
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synonyms:
dispersed
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distributed
spread out or scattered about or divided up
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distributed
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spread out or open from a closed or folded state“spread your arms”
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synonyms:
open, spread out, unfold
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types:
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divaricate
spread apart
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exfoliate
spread by opening the leaves of
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grass
spread out clothes on the grass to let it dry and bleach
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butterfly
cut and spread open, as in preparation for cooking
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uncross
change from a crossed to an uncrossed position
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splay
spread open or apart
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type of:
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undo
cancel, annul, or reverse an action or its effect
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two facing pages of a book or other publication
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synonyms:
facing pages, spread head, spreadhead
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types:
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center spread, centre spread
the spread at the center of a magazine
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centerfold, centrefold
a magazine center spread; especially a foldout of a large photograph or map or other feature
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type of:
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page
one side of one leaf (of a book or magazine or newspaper or letter etc.) or the written or pictorial matter it contains
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center spread, centre spread
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fully extended in width
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farm consisting of a large tract of land along with facilities needed to raise livestock (especially cattle)
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synonyms:
cattle farm, cattle ranch, ranch
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type of:
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farm
workplace consisting of farm buildings and cultivated land as a unit
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farm
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a meal that is well prepared and greatly enjoyed
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prepared or arranged for a meal; especially having food set out“a table spread with food”
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Synonyms:
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prepared
made ready or fit or suitable beforehand
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prepared
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decorative cover for a bed
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synonyms:
bed cover, bed covering, bedcover, bedspread, counterpane
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types:
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coverlet
a decorative bedspread (usually quilted)
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quilted bedspread
a bedspread constructed like a thin quilt
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type of:
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bed clothing, bedclothes, bedding
coverings that are used on a bed
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coverlet
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a conspicuous disparity or difference as between two figures
Pronunciation
US
/sprɛd/
UK
/sprɛd/
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