spread
Noun · Verb · AdjectiveOpen English WordNet
Verb (10)spreads, spreading
- distribute or disperse widely“The invaders spread their language all over the country”Synonyms: distributeMore general move, displaceMore specific diffuse, strew, discharge, sprawl, redistribute, emit, export, generalize, metastasize, deploy +1 more
- become distributed or widespread“the infection spread”“Optimism spread among the population”Synonyms: propagateMore general moveMore specific catch
- spread across or over“A big oil spot spread across the water”Synonyms: overspreadMore general cover, continueMore specific transgress
- spread out or open from a closed or folded state“open the map”“spread your arms”Synonyms: unfoldspread outopenMore general undoMore specific butterfly, divaricate, uncross, grass, splay, exfoliate
- cause to become widely known“spread information”“circulate a rumor”“broadcast the news”Synonyms: circulatecircularizecircularisedistributedisseminatepropagatebroadcastdiffusedispersepass aroundMore general publicize, publiciseMore specific carry, sow, popularize, podcastCauses go around, circulateSimilar go around, circulate
- become widely known and passed on“the rumor spread”“the story went around in the office”Synonyms: go aroundcirculateMore general travel, goSimilar circulate, circularize
- strew or distribute over an area“He spread fertilizer over the lawn”“scatter cards across the table”Synonyms: scatterspread out
- move outward“The soldiers fanned out”Synonyms: diffusespread outfan out
- cover by spreading something over“spread the bread with cheese”
- distribute over a surface in a layer“spread cheese on a piece of bread”
Noun (10)spreads
- process or result of distributing or extending over a wide expanse of spaceSynonyms: spreadingType of change of location, travelKinds dispersion, diffusion, invasion, irradiation, radiation
- a conspicuous disparity or difference as between two figures“gap between income and outgo”“the spread between lending and borrowing costs”Synonyms: gapType of disparity
- farm consisting of a large tract of land along with facilities needed to raise livestock (especially cattle)Synonyms: ranchcattle ranchcattle farmType of farm
- a haphazard distribution in all directionsSynonyms: scatterType of distribution, dispersionKinds diffuseness
- a tasty mixture to be spread on bread or crackers or used in preparing other dishesSynonyms: pasteType of condimentKinds peanut butter, nut butter, hummus, pate, cheese spread, fishpaste, garlic butter, shrimp butter, tapenade, marshmallow fluff +7 more
- a meal that is well prepared and greatly enjoyed“a banquet for the graduating seniors”“the Thanksgiving feast”“they put out quite a spread”Synonyms: banquetfeastType of meal, repast
- two facing pages of a book or other publicationSynonyms: spread headspreadheadfacing pages
- the expansion of a person's girth (especially at middle age)“she exercised to avoid that middle-aged spread”
- decorative cover for a bedSynonyms: bedspreadbedcoverbed coverbed coveringcounterpane
- act of extending over a wider scope or expanse of space or timeSynonyms: spreading
Adjective (3)
- distributed or spread over a considerable extent“has ties with many widely dispersed friends”“eleven million Jews are spread throughout Europe”Synonyms: dispersedOpposite concentratedSimilar distributed
- prepared or arranged for a meal; especially having food set out“a table spread with food”Opposite unpreparedSimilar prepared
- fully extended in width“outspread wings”“with arms spread wide”Synonyms: outspreadOpposite unextendedSimilar extended
What does it mean? Question 1 of today’s quiz
Translations
Verb to stretch out, expand
- French
- étaler
- German
- ausbreiten
- Turkish
- yaymak
- Russian
- распространя́ть rasprostranjátʹ
- Chinese
- 摊开 tānkāi
- Dutch
- spreiden
- Swedish
- sprida
- Korean
- 펼치다 pyeolchida
- Hungarian
- terít
- Chinese (Trad.)
- 攤開 tānkāi
Verb to disperse, scatter
- Spanish
- esparcir
- French
- répandre
- German
- verbreiten
- Italian
- diffondere
- Portuguese
- espalhar
- Turkish
- yaymak
- Russian
- раски́дывать raskídyvatʹ
- Arabic
- نَشَرَ našara
- Chinese
- 散布 sànbù
- Dutch
- verspreiden
Verb to disseminate, make known or present
- Spanish
- difundir
- French
- répandre
- German
- verbreiten
- Italian
- diffondere
- Portuguese
- espalhar
- Turkish
- yaymak
- Russian
- распространя́ть rasprostranjátʹ
- Arabic
- نَشَرَ našara
- Chinese
- 传播 chuánbō
- Dutch
- verspreiden
The main translation for each meaning, from the langtolang.com multilingual dictionary. Each word links to its full entry there.
Webster's Dictionary (1913)
Origin: OE. spreden, AS. spraedan; akin to D. spreiden, spreijen, LG. spreden, spreen, spreien, G. spreiten, Dan. sprede, Sw. sprida. Cf. Spray water flying in drops.
1. To extend in length and breadth, or in breadth only; to stretch or expand to a broad or broader surface or extent; to open; to unfurl; as, to spread a carpet; to spread a tent or a sail.
He bought a parcel of a field where he had spread his tent.— Gen. xxxiii. 19.
Here the Rhone Hath spread himself a couch.— George Noel Gordon, Ld. Byron
2. To extend so as to cover something; to extend to a great or greater extent in every direction; to cause to fill or cover a wide or wider space.
Rose, as in a dance, the stately trees, and spread Their branches hung with copious fruit.— John Milton
3. To divulge; to publish, as news or fame; to cause to be more extensively known; to disseminate; to make known fully; as, to spread a report; — often accompanied by abroad.
They, when they were departed, spread abroad his fame in all that country.— Matt. ix. 31.
4. To propagate; to cause to affect great numbers; as, to spread a disease.
5. To diffuse, as emanations or effluvia; to emit; as, odoriferous plants spread their fragrance.
6. To strew; to scatter over a surface; as, to spread manure; to spread lime on the ground.
7. To prepare; to set and furnish with provisions; as, to spread a table.
Boiled the flesh, and spread the board.— Alfred Tennyson
To spread cloth, to unfurl sail. obsolete John Evelyn
Synonyms: To diffuse; propagate; disperse; publish; distribute; scatter; circulate; disseminate; dispense.
1. To extend in length and breadth in all directions, or in breadth only; to be extended or stretched; to expand.
Plants, if they spread much, are seldom tall.— Francis, Baron Verulam Bacon
Governor Winthrop, and his associates at Charlestown, had for a church a large, spreading tree.— Benjamin Trumbull
2. To be extended by drawing or beating; as, some metals spread with difficulty.
3. To be made known more extensively, as news.
4. To be propagated from one to another; as, the disease spread into all parts of the city. William Shakespeare
1. Extent; compass.
I have got a fine spread of improvable land.— Joseph Addison
2. Expansion of parts.
No flower hath spread like that of the woodbine.— Francis, Baron Verulam Bacon
3. A cloth used as a cover for a table or a bed.
4. A table, as spread or furnished with a meal; hence, an entertainment of food; a feast. colloquial
5. A privilege which one person buys of another, of demanding certain shares of stock at a certain price, or of delivering the same shares of stock at another price, within a time agreed upon. Brokers' Cant
6. Geometry An unlimited expanse of discontinuous points.
7. Finance An arbitrage transaction operated by buying and selling simultaneously in two separate markets, as Chicago and New York, when there is an abnormal difference in price between the two markets. It is called a back spreadwhen the difference in price is less than the normal one.
8. Gems Surface in proportion to the depth of a cut stone.
past tense & past participle of Spread, verb
Spread eagle. (a) An eagle with outspread wings, the national emblem of the United States. (b) The figure of an eagle, with its wings elevated and its legs extended; often met as a device upon military ornaments, and the like. (c) Heraldry An eagle displayed; an eagle with the wings and legs extended on each side of the body, as in the double-headed eagle of Austria and Russia. See Displayed, 2.
Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913), from GCIDE 0.54 · with additions: 1913 supplement