📒 to affect or make something affect, be known by, or be used by more and more people
- The news had spread and was causing great excitement.
- + adv./prep. Use of computers spread rapidly during that period.
- Within weeks, his confidence had spread throughout the team.
📒 to cover, or to make something cover, a larger and larger area
- There is no evidence that the cancer has spread.
- + adv./prep. The fire rapidly spread to adjoining buildings.
- Water began to spread across the floor.
📒 to cause somebody/something to be in a number of different places
- Seeds and pollen are spread by the wind.
- We have 10 000 members spread all over the country.
- Expertise in this field is very thinly spread across the country.
📒 to cover a large area
- The valley spread out beneath us.
📒 to put a layer of a substance onto the surface of something; to be able to be put onto a surface
- spread something They spread manure in both spring and autumn.
- spread (A on/over B) to spread butter on pieces of toast
- Birds spread the oil over their feathers to keep them warm and dry.
📒 to open something that has been folded so that it covers a larger area than before
- spread something (out) The bird spread its wings.
- a bird with its wings spread wide
- spread something (out) on/over something They spread a cloth on the table.
📒 to arrange objects so that they cover a large area and can be seen easily
- spread something out on/over something Papers had been spread out on the desk.
- spread something out She spread out photographs of her grandchildren so I could see how they'd grown.
- He was studying the various pages of notes spread over the quilt.
📒 to place the thumb and a finger of one hand on the screen of an electronic device such as a mobile phone or small computer and move them apart to make the image on the screen larger, as though it is closer
- Re-size the text by using the pinch and spread gestures on the screen.
📒 to move your arms, legs, fingers, etc. far apart from each other
- She spread her arms and the child ran towards her.
📒 to separate something into parts and divide them between different times or different people
- spread something Why not pay monthly and spread the cost of your car insurance?
- spread something (out) (over something) A series of five interviews will be spread over two days.
- The course takes forty hours, spread over twenty weeks.
📒 to become known by more and more people very quickly
- Rumours of his death spread like wildfire.
- The news spread like wildfire.
📒 to consider a wide range of possibilities or cover a large area, especially to try to find somebody/something
- They have spread their net far and wide in the search for a new team coach.
📒 to become more independent and confident and try new activities, etc.
- Going to college gave her the chance to spread her wings.
📒 to tell people about something
- I'm always trying to spread the word about healthy eating.
📒 to try to do so many different things at the same time that you do not do any of them well
- With four markets to manage, there's a danger that's she's spreading herself too thin.