spread (spreads plural & 3rd person present) (spreading present participle) (spread past tense & past participle )
1 verb If you spread something somewhere, you open it out or arrange it over a place or surface, so that all of it can be seen or used easily.
She spread a towel on the sand and lay on it... V n prep
Spread out means the same as spread., phrasal verb
He extracted several glossy prints and spread them out on a low coffee table... V n P
In his room, Tom was spreading out a map of Scandinavia on the bed. V P n (not pron)
2 verb If you spread your arms, hands, fingers, or legs, you stretch them out until they are far apart.
Sitting on the floor, spread your legs as far as they will go without overstretching... V n adv
He stepped back and spread his hands wide. `You are most welcome to our home.' V n adj
Spread out means the same as spread., phrasal verb
David made a gesture, spreading out his hands as if he were showing that he had no explanation to make... V P n (not pron)
You need a bed that's large enough to let you spread yourself out. V n P
3 verb If you spread a substance on a surface or spread the surface with the substance, you put a thin layer of the substance over the surface.
Spread the mixture in the cake tin and bake for 30 minutes... V n prep
Spread the bread with the cheese. V n with n
4 n-mass Spread is a soft food which is put on bread.
usu supp N
...a wholemeal salad roll with low fat spread.
5 verb If something spreads or is spread by people, it gradually reaches or affects a larger and larger area or more and more people.
The industrial revolution which started a couple of hundred years ago in Europe is now spreading across the world. V prep/adv
...the sense of fear spreading in residential neighborhoods... V
He was fed-up with the lies being spread about him. V n
Spread is also a noun., n-sing usu the N of n
The greatest hope for reform is the gradual spread of information...
6 verb If something such as a liquid, gas, or smoke spreads or is spread, it moves outwards in all directions so that it covers a larger area.
Fire spread rapidly after a chemical truck exploded... V
A dark red stain was spreading across his shirt... V prep
In Northern California, a wildfire has spread a haze of smoke over 200 miles. V n prep
Spread is also a noun., n-sing
The situation was complicated by the spread of a serious forest fire.
7 verb If you spread something over a period of time, it takes place regularly or continuously over that period, rather than happening at one time.
There seems to be little difference whether you eat all your calorie allowance in one go, or spread it over the day... V n over n
8 verb If you spread something such as wealth or work, you distribute it evenly or equally.
...policies that spread the state's wealth more evenly... V n
Spread is also a noun., n-sing usu N of n
There are easier ways to encourage the even spread of wealth.
9 n-sing A spreadof ideas, interests, or other things is a wide variety of them.
usu N of n
(=range)
A topic-based approach can be hard to assess in primary schools with a typical spread of ability...
10 n-count A spread is a large meal, especially one that has been prepared for a special occasion.
11 n-count A spread is two pages of a book, magazine, or newspaper that are opposite each other when you open it at a particular place.
There was a double-page spread of a dinner for 46 people.
12 n-sing Spread is used to refer to the difference between the price that a seller wants someone to pay for a particular stock or share and the price that the buyer is willing to pay. (BUSINESS)
Market makers earn their livings from the spread between buying and selling prices.
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to spread your wings
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wing spread out
1 phrasal verb If people, animals, or vehicles spread out, they move apart from each other.
Felix watched his men move like soldiers, spreading out into two teams. V P
2 phrasal verb If something such as a city or forest spreads out, it gets larger and gradually begins to covers a larger area.
Cities such as Tokyo are spreading out... V P
spread betting
Spread betting is a form of gambling that involves predicting a range of possible scores or results rather than one particular score or result. n-uncount
spread out
If people or things are spread out, they are a long way apart. adj usu v-link ADJ
The Kurds are spread out across five nations.
