spread

[spred] /sprɛd/
verb (used with object), spread, spreading.
1.
to draw, stretch, or open out, especially over a flat surface, as something rolled or folded (often followed by out).
2.
to stretch out or unfurl in the air, as folded wings, a flag, etc. (often followed by out).
3.
to distribute over a greater or a relatively great area of space or time (often followed by out):
to spread out the papers on the table.
4.
to display or exhibit the full extent of; set out in full:
He spread the pots on the ground and started hawking his wares.
5.
to dispose or distribute in a sheet or layer:
to spread hay to dry.
6.
to apply in a thin layer or coating:
to spread butter on a slice of bread.
7.
to overlay or cover with something:
She spread the blanket over her knees.
8.
to set or prepare (a table), as for a meal.
9.
to extend or distribute over a region, place, period of time, among a group, etc.
10.
to send out, scatter, or shed in various directions, as sound, light, etc.
11.
to scatter abroad; diffuse or disseminate, as knowledge, news, disease, etc.:
to spread the word of the gospel.
12.
to move or force apart:
He spread his arms over his head in surrender.
13.
to flatten out:
to spread the end of a rivet by hammering.
14.
Phonetics.
  1. to extend the aperture between (the lips) laterally, so as to reduce it vertically, during an utterance.
  2. to delabialize.
    Compare round (def 57c), unround.
verb (used without object), spread, spreading.
15.
to become stretched out or extended, as a flag in the wind; expand, as in growth.
16.
to extend over a greater or a considerable area or period:
The factory spread along the river front.
17.
to be or lie outspread or fully extended or displayed, as a landscape or scene.
18.
to admit of being spread or applied in a thin layer, as a soft substance:
Margarine spreads easily.
19.
to become extended or distributed over a region, as population, animals, plants, etc.
20.
to become shed abroad, diffused, or disseminated, as light, influences, rumors, ideas, infection, etc.
21.
to be forced apart, as the rails of a railroad track; separate.
noun
22.
an act or instance of spreading:
With a spread of her arms the actress acknowledged the applause.
23.
expansion, extension, or diffusion:
the spread of consumerism.
24.
the extent of spreading:
to measure the spread of branches.
25.
Finance.
  1. the difference between the prices bid and asked of stock or a commodity for a given time.
  2. a type of straddle in which the call price is placed above and the put price is placed below the current market quotation.
  3. the difference between any two prices or rates for related costs:
    the widening spread between lending and borrowing costs.
  4. Stock Exchange. a broker's profit or the difference between his or her buying and selling price.
  5. any difference between return on assets and costs of liabilities.
26.
capacity for spreading:
the spread of an elastic material.
27.
a distance or range, as between two points or dates:
The long-distance movers planned a five-day spread between pickup and delivery.
28.
a stretch, expanse, or extent of something:
a spread of timber.
29.
a cloth covering for a bed, table, or the like, especially a bedspread.
30.
Informal. an abundance of food set out on a table; feast.
31.
any food preparation for spreading on bread, crackers, etc., as jam or peanut butter.
32.
Aeronautics, wingspan.
33.
Also called layout. Journalism. (in newspapers and magazines) an extensive, varied treatment of a subject, consisting primarily either of a number of cuts (picture spread) or of a major story and several supplementary stories, usually extending across three or more columns.
Compare double truck.
34.
an advertisement, photograph, article, or the like, covering several columns, a full page, or two facing pages of a newspaper, magazine, book, etc.:
a full-page spread; a two-page spread.
35.
two facing pages, as of a newspaper, magazine, or book.
36.
landed property, as a farm or ranch.
37.
lay1 (def 40).
38.
point spread.
adjective
39.
Jewelry. (of a gem) cut with the table too large and the crown too shallow for maximum brilliance; swindled.
40.
Phonetics. (of the opening between the lips) extended laterally.
Compare rounded (def 2), unrounded.
Idioms
41.
spread oneself thin, to carry on so many projects simultaneously that none is done adequately, or that one's health suffers:
Many college students spread themselves thin by taking on too many activities during the semester.
Origin
1150-1200; Middle English spreden (v.), Old English sprǣdan; cognate with Middle Dutch spreden, German spreiten
Related forms
antispreading, adjective
prespread, verb (used with object), prespread, prespreading.
respread, verb, respread, respreading.
underspread, verb (used with object), underspread, underspreading.
unspread, adjective
unspreading, adjective
Synonyms
1. unfold, unroll, expand. 10. emit, diffuse, radiate. 11. disperse, scatter, publish, circulate, promulgate, propagate. 15. stretch, dilate. 24. reach, compass.
Examples from the web for spread
  • But the open-source phenomenon in computing, compelling as it is, has little in common with how languages grow and spread.
  • The group's current mission is to spread economic development to the rest of the world.
  • The idea is to signify some level of unification and to spread awareness.
  • Miners should spread their risks across countries as well as minerals.
  • Biologists have discovered that amphibian diseases are spread by bait shops.
  • The ability to spread underlies the killing power of cancer.
  • As the country's growing population spread west and south, so too did cricket.
  • Drizzle olive oil over the cheese, sprinkle it with dried herbs, and serve as an appetizer spread with sliced baguettes.
  • Right now, antibiotics work by interfering with bacterial function or their spread.
  • Scientists say this could be a bad year for a rare but often fatal viral infection spread by rural rodents.
British Dictionary definitions for spread

spread

/sprɛd/
verb spreads, spreading, spread
1.
to extend or unfold or be extended or unfolded to the fullest width: she spread the map on the table
2.
to extend or cause to extend over a larger expanse of space or time: the milk spread all over the floor, the political unrest spread over several years
3.
to apply or be applied in a coating: butter does not spread very well when cold
4.
to distribute or be distributed over an area or region
5.
to display or be displayed in its fullest extent: the landscape spread before us
6.
(transitive) to prepare (a table) for a meal
7.
(transitive) to lay out (a meal) on a table
8.
to send or be sent out in all directions; disseminate or be disseminated: someone has been spreading rumours, the disease spread quickly
9.
(of rails, wires, etc) to force or be forced apart
10.
to increase the breadth of (a part), esp to flatten the head of a rivet by pressing, hammering, or forging
11.
(transitive) (agriculture)
  1. to lay out (hay) in a relatively thin layer to dry
  2. to scatter (seed, manure, etc) over a relatively wide area
12.
(informal) (transitive) often foll by around. to make (oneself) agreeable to a large number of people, often of the opposite sex
13.
(phonetics) to narrow and lengthen the aperture of (the lips) as for the articulation of a front vowel, such as (iː) in English see (siː)
noun
14.
the act or process of spreading; diffusion, dispersal, expansion, etc: the spread of the Christian religion
15.
(informal) the wingspan of an aircraft
16.
an extent of space or time; stretch: a spread of 50 years
17.
(informal, mainly US & Canadian) a ranch or relatively large tract of land
18.
the limit of something fully extended: the spread of a bird's wings
19.
a covering for a table or bed
20.
(informal) a large meal or feast, esp when it is laid out on a table
21.
a food which can be spread on bread, etc: salmon spread
22.
two facing pages in a book or other publication
23.
a widening of the hips and waist: middle-age spread
24.
(stock exchange)
  1. the difference between the bid and offer prices quoted by a market maker
  2. the excess of the price at which stock is offered for public sale over the price paid for the same stock by an underwriter
  3. (mainly US) a double option Compare straddle (sense 9)
25.
(jewellery) the apparent size of a gemstone when viewed from above expressed in carats: a diamond with a spread of four carats
adjective
26.
extended or stretched out, esp to the fullest extent
27.
(of a gem) shallow and flat
28.
(phonetics)
  1. (of the lips) forming a long narrow aperture
  2. (of speech sounds) articulated with spread lips: (iː) in English "feel" is a spread vowel
Derived Forms
spreadability, noun
spreadable, adjective
Word Origin
Old English sprǣdan; related to Old High German spreiten to spread, Old Lithuanian sprainas stiff
Word Origin and History for spread
v.

c.1200, "to stretch out, to send in various directions," probably from Old English -sprædan (especially in tosprædan "to spread out," and gesprædung "spreading"), from Proto-Germanic *spraidijanan (cf. Danish sprede, Old Swedish spreda, Middle Dutch spreiden, Old High German and German spreiten "to spread"), probably from PIE *sper- "to strew" (see sprout (v.)). Reflexive sense of "to extend, expand" is attested from mid-14c.

n.

1690s, "extent or expanse of something," from spread (v.). Meaning "copious meal" dates from 1822; sense of "food for spreading" (butter, jam, etc.) is from 1812. Sense of "bed cover" is recorded from 1848, originally American English. Meaning "degree of variation" is attested from 1929. Meaning "ranch for raising cattle" is attested from 1927.

Slang definitions & phrases for spread

spread

noun
  1. Coverage in a newspaper or magazine, esp the full use of facing pages: Do you know how much a two-page spread in the New York Times costs these days? (1858+)
  2. A copious meal; a feast (1822+)