English Explanatory Dictionary

spread

English dictionary entry

Meanings

verb
  1. To stretch out, open out (a material etc.) so that it more fully covers a given area of space.
  2. To extend (individual rays, limbs etc.); to stretch out in varying or opposing directions. simple past and past participle of spread
  3. To disperse, to scatter or distribute over a given area.
  4. To proliferate; to become more widely present, to be disseminated.
  5. To disseminate; to cause to proliferate, to make (something) widely known or present.
  6. To take up a larger area or space; to expand, be extended.
  7. To smear, to distribute in a thin layer.
  8. To cover (something) with a thin layer of some substance, as of butter.
  9. To prepare; to set and furnish with provisions.
  10. To open one’s legs, especially for sexual favours.
noun
  1. The act of spreading.
  2. Something that has been spread.
  3. A layout, pattern or design of cards arranged for a reading.
  4. An expanse of land.
  5. A large tract of land used to raise livestock; a cattle ranch.
  6. A piece of material used as a cover (such as a bedspread).
  7. A large meal, especially one laid out on a table.
  8. Any form of food designed to be spread, such as butters or jams.
  9. A set of multiple torpedoes launched on side-by-side, slowly-diverging paths toward one or more enemy ships.
  10. Food improvised by inmates from various ingredients to relieve the tedium of prison food.
  11. An item in a newspaper or magazine that occupies more than one column or page.
  12. Two facing pages in a book, newspaper etc.
verb
  1. To speedread; to recite one's arguments at an extremely fast pace.
noun
  1. An act or instance of spreading (speedreading).

Pronunciation

/spɹɛd/ en-us-spread.ogg sprēd /spɹiːd/ /spɹid/

Word forms

spread spreads spreading

Etymology

From Middle English spreden, from Old English sprǣdan (“to spread, expand”), from Proto-Germanic *spraidijaną (“to spread”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)per- (“to strew, sow, sprinkle”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian spreede (“to spread”), West Frisian spriede (“to spread”), North Frisian spriedjen (“to spread”), Dutch spreiden (“to spread”), Low German spreden (“to spread”), German spreiten (“to spread, spread out”), Danish sprede (“to spread”), Norwegian spre, spreie (“to spread, disseminate”), Swedish sprida (“to spread”), Latin spernō, spargō, Ancient Greek σπείρω (speírō), Persian سپردن (sepordan, “to deposit”), English spurn.

Synonyms

disseminate circulate propagate diffuse put about sow suffuse pervade sweep straddle swole

Related words

spreading

Derived words

antispread antispreader aspread bandspread bear spread bedspread bespread bespreading bid-ask spread broadspread broadspreading calendar spread center spread centerspread centre spread cheese spread chocolate spread community spread credit spread cytospread despread despreading diagonal spread dispread dispreader dispreading double-page spread double spread flame spread forespread forspread landspreading manspreading middle-age spread midspread misspread muckspreader muck spreader nonspreadable outspread outspreading outspreadingly overspread overspreadest overspreadeth overspreading photospread ratio spread re-spread respread respreading reverse ratio spread ribbon spread rune spread sandwich spread sea-floor spreading seafloor spreading secretary spread spark spread spraddle
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