spread
verb/spred/
/spred/
Verb Forms
Idioms Phrasal Verbs| present simple I / you / we / they spread | /spred/ /spred/ |
| he / she / it spreads | /spredz/ /spredz/ |
| past simple spread | /spred/ /spred/ |
| past participle spread | /spred/ /spred/ |
| -ing form spreading | /ˈspredɪŋ/ /ˈspredɪŋ/ |
- [intransitive, transitive] 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.
- The disease spreads easily.
- The idea spread quickly in the years that followed.
- spread something Someone's been spreading rumours about you.
- He's using his rap music to spread the message that violence is wrong.
- The disease is spread by mosquitoes.
- The virus is primarily spread from person to person through coughing and sneezing.
- The depression started in the US and spread quickly throughout the world.
Extra ExamplesTopics Health problemsb1- His fame had spread far and wide.
- The disease can be spread by contact.
- I wish he would stop spreading lies about me.
- The effects of this policy spread far beyond children now at school.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- fast
- like wildfire
- quickly
- …
- (all) across
- among
- around
- …
- be thinly spread
- spread yourself too thin
Definitions on the go
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- [intransitive, transitive] 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.
- A smile spread slowly across her face.
- Allow plenty of space for this plant as its roots spread widely.
- spread something A strong wind spread the flames.
- Using too much water could spread the stain.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- fast
- like wildfire
- quickly
- …
- (all) across
- among
- around
- …
- be thinly spread
- spread yourself too thin
- [transitive] spread somebody/something 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.
Extra Examples- Expertise in this field is very thinly spread across the country.
- Friends may be spread geographically. Neighbours, by definition, are nearby.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- fast
- like wildfire
- quickly
- …
- (all) across
- among
- around
- …
- be thinly spread
- spread yourself too thin
- [intransitive] spread (out) + adv./prep. to cover a large area
- The valley spread out beneath us.
- [transitive, intransitive] 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.
- spread (B with A) pieces of toast spread with butter
- If the paint is too thick, it will not spread evenly.
Extra ExamplesTopics Cooking and eatingb2- He spread jam on the toast.
- Spread each slice generously with butter.
- If the paint is too thick, it will not spread easily.
- She spread butter on a piece of toast.
- Spread the cake with cream and then sprinkle flakes of chocolate on top.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- thickly
- lightly
- thinly
- …
- on
- with
- [transitive] 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.
- Sue spread the map out on the floor.
- We spread the rug out on the floor.
- He spread the blanket over the straw and went to sleep.
- spread something + adj. He had a newspaper spread open on his knee.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- carefully
- out
- across
- on
- over
- …
- spread something open
- spread your arms, legs, etc. out wide
- spread your arms, legs, etc. wide
- …
- [transitive] 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.
- He shuffled the cards and spread them in a fan.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- carefully
- out
- across
- on
- over
- …
- spread something open
- spread your arms, legs, etc. out wide
- spread your arms, legs, etc. wide
- …
- [transitive] 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.
- [transitive] spread something (out) to move your arms, legs, fingers, etc. far apart from each other
- She spread her arms and the child ran towards her.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- carefully
- out
- across
- on
- over
- …
- spread something open
- spread your arms, legs, etc. out wide
- spread your arms, legs, etc. wide
- …
- [transitive] 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.
- spread something between somebody/something We attempted to spread the workload between the departments.
- We tried to spread the workload evenly between the departments.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- equally
- evenly
- uniformly
- …
- try to
- among
- between
- over
- …
among people
cover large area
soft layer
open/arrange
arms/legs
divide/share
Word OriginOld English -sprǣdan (used in combinations), of West Germanic origin; related to Dutch spreiden and German spreiten.
Idioms
See spread in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee spread in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic Englishspread like wildfire
- (of news, etc.) to become known by more and more people very quickly
- Rumours of his death spread like wildfire.
- The news spread like wildfire.
spread your net
- 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.
spread your wings
- to become more independent and confident and try new activities, etc.
- Going to college gave her the chance to spread her wings.
spread the word
- to tell people about something
- I'm always trying to spread the word about healthy eating.
spread yourself too thin
- 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.
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spread