spread

spread1 [ spred ] (past tense and past participle spread) verb ***

▸ 1 affect larger area

▸ 2 disease affects many

▸ 3 cover surface with something

▸ 4 divide/reduce something

▸ 5 be present in wide area

▸ 6 give information to many

▸ 7 move parts of body apart

▸ 8 cause feeling in many

▸ + PHRASES

1. ) intransitive to gradually affect or cover a larger area:

UN leaders hope to prevent the fighting from spreading.

Rain will spread from the west and reach all areas by evening.

Anti-globalization protests spread rapidly across the globe.

Within less than an hour, the fire had spread to the fuel stores.

She heard a shot, then saw a dark-red stain spreading across his shirt.

a ) if a smile or other expression spreads across or over your face, it becomes gradually bigger or more obvious:

He let a slow smile spread across his face.

2. ) intransitive or transitive if a disease spreads, or if something spreads it, it affects a lot of people as it is passed from one person to another:

Cholera spread quickly through the refugee camp.

Soldiers returning from the war soon spread the disease through most of the region.

a computer virus that spread rapidly through users' e-mail systems

3. ) spread or spread out transitive to open something that is folded so that it covers a surface:

spread something on/over something: We spread the blanket on the grass and sat down on it.

She looked at the map that was spread out on the floor.

a ) intransitive or transitive to cover a surface with a thin layer of a soft food:

Butter spreads more easily when it hasn't been in the refrigerator.

spread something on something: Maureen spread jam on her toast.

spread something with something: First, spread the bread with mayonnaise.

4. ) transitive to divide and share work or obligations among several people:

We will bring in extra staff to spread the workload.

a ) transitive to divide an amount of money that you owe into parts, and pay it in several INSTALLMENTS instead of all at one time:

spread something over something: You can spread your payments over two, three, or five years.

b ) transitive usually passive to make something happen at several times during a long period, instead of all at once:

Attacks of the illness were spread over a three-year period.

c ) transitive if you spread a risk, you invest in several different things so that if one fails you do not lose everything:

Smythe spread his financial risk by investing in a wide range of businesses.

5. ) intransitive or transitive usually passive be spread over/across something to be present in many parts of a large area:

There are 54 community colleges spread across California.

Indonesia is a nation of over 200 million people, spread over 17,000 islands.

6. ) transitive to give information to many people:

Someone has been spreading nasty rumors about Stella's private life.

a ) intransitive if information spreads, it becomes known by more people than before:

spread to: News of the attack has already spread to the islands.

b ) spread the word/gospel/message to tell a lot of people about an idea that you believe in:

They are spreading the word on the need for healthy eating.

Campaigners worked tirelessly to spread the environmentalist message.

7. ) transitive to move your arms, legs, or hands so that they are far apart: EXTEND:

First, lie on the floor with your arms spread wide.

a ) to open something wide:

The bird spread its wings and flew away.

8. ) transitive to cause a lot of people to have a particular feeling:

Smiling at people was Debra's way of spreading a little happiness.

A gang of drug dealers was spreading terror in the neighborhood.

,spread `out phrasal verb

1. ) intransitive if people in a group spread out, they move away from one another so that they cover a large area:

Let's spread out more and search the whole field.

2. ) transitive same as SPREAD1 3:

We spread our papers out on the table.

be spread out

to cover a large area of land that you can see:

She gazed at the sprawling city spread out below her.

spread

spread 2 [ spred ] noun **

▸ 1 growth/development

▸ 2 soft food

▸ 3 variety of things

▸ 4 farm

▸ 5 cloth that covers bed

▸ 6 large meal

▸ 7 long article

▸ 8 width of something

1. ) singular spread of the growth or development of something, so that it affects a larger area or a larger number of people:

There were concerns about the spread of fighting to other regions.

The goal of U.S. foreign policy at that time was to prevent the spread of communism.

The spread of literacy has greatly improved the region's economic performance.

a ) a situation in which disease begins to infect more and more people:

They still do not know how to prevent the spread of the disease.

b ) a situation in which a fire starts to affect a larger area than before:

Close doors to delay the spread of fire and smoke.

2. ) count or uncount soft food that you put on bread and similar foods:

We prefer low-fat spreads to butter.

3. ) singular spread of a number of different things: RANGE:

You minimize risk by investing in a spread of successful companies.

4. ) count a large piece of land or a farm

5. ) count a thick piece of cloth that covers a bed

6. ) count INFORMAL a large meal with a lot of different dishes to choose from:

That was quite a spread they put on last night.

7. ) count a long article in a newspaper or magazine:

a double-page/two-page spread

8. ) singular the width of something:

The mature plant is around six feet tall with a spread of four feet.