spread

The word “spread” means to open something out so it covers a wider area. In plain terms, to stretch, scatter, or become more widely present — used for objects, information, disease, or (in finance) a price gap.

“Spread” is pronounced sprehd (/spɹɛd/ in IPA).

Here is “spread” used in a sentence: “She spread the map across the table.”

Words with a similar meaning to “spread” include disseminate, circulate, propagate, diffuse, put about and straddle.

Depending on how it is used, “spread” can be a verb and a noun.

The word “spread” comes from Old English. From Old English sprædan ("to spread, expand"), from a Proto-Germanic root meaning to strew or scatter.

“Spread” is a very common word in modern English, usually learned at around the A2 level.

“Spread” has 6 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: to open something out so it covers a wider area.

Beyond opening something out, spread can mean to distribute widely, as in spread the news; to apply a soft layer, as in spread butter; or to extend over time or space. As a noun it can name a soft food, a range of things, or a large, generous meal.

Spread is irregular, so its past tense and past participle are both also spread, never spreaded. You would say she spread the map yesterday, and it has spread quickly since then. The form stays the same in every tense, which makes it simple but easy to overlook.

You might spread a blanket on the grass, opening it out to cover the ground. Other everyday examples include spreading jam across toast, a fire spreading through dry brush, or news spreading across a town. All share the core idea of extending outward to cover more space.

Common opposites include gather, fold, and collect when you close something up, and contain or restrict when you limit how far it reaches. Because to spread is to widen or extend, its antonyms describe pulling things in, folding them together, or keeping them within a smaller area.