"You canker blossom!" 3 Shakespearean Insults


[spred] /sprɛd/
verb (used with object), spread, spreading.
to distribute over a greater or a relatively great area of space or time (often followed by out):
to spread out the papers on the table.
to display or exhibit the full extent of; set out in full:
to dispose or distribute in a sheet or layer:
to spread hay to dry.
to apply in a thin layer or coating:
to spread butter on a slice of bread.
to overlay or cover with something:
She spread the blanket over her knees.
to scatter abroad; diffuse or disseminate, as knowledge, news, disease, etc.:
to spread the word of the gospel.
to move or force apart:
He spread his arms over his head in surrender.
to flatten out:
to spread the end of a rivet by hammering.
  2. to delabialize.
    Compare round (def 57c), unround.
verb (used without object), spread, spreading.
to become stretched out or extended, as a flag in the wind; expand, as in growth.
to extend over a greater or a considerable area or period:
The factory spread along the river front.
Margarine spreads easily.
to be forced apart, as the rails of a railroad track; separate.
an act or instance of spreading:
With a spread of her arms the actress acknowledged the applause.
expansion, extension, or diffusion:
the spread of consumerism.
the extent of spreading:
to measure the spread of branches.
  1. the difference between the prices bid and asked of stock or a commodity for a given time.
  3. the difference between any two prices or rates for related costs:
    the widening spread between lending and borrowing costs.
  4. Stock Exchange. a broker's profit or the difference between his or her buying and selling price.
  5. any difference between return on assets and costs of liabilities.
capacity for spreading:
the spread of an elastic material.
a distance or range, as between two points or dates:
a stretch, expanse, or extent of something:
a spread of timber.
a cloth covering for a bed, table, or the like, especially a bedspread.
Informal. an abundance of food set out on a table; feast.
Aeronautics, wingspan.
Compare double truck.
a full-page spread; a two-page spread.
landed property, as a farm or ranch.
lay1 (def 40).
Jewelry. (of a gem) cut with the table too large and the crown too shallow for maximum brilliance; swindled.
Phonetics. (of the opening between the lips) extended laterally.
Compare rounded (def 2), unrounded.
Origin of spread
1150-1200; Middle English spreden (v.), Old English sprǣdan; cognate with Middle Dutch spreden, German spreiten
Related forms
antispreading, adjective
prespread, verb (used with object), prespread, prespreading.
respread, verb, respread, respreading.
underspread, verb (used with object), underspread, underspreading.
unspread, adjective
unspreading, adjective
1. unfold, unroll, expand. 10. emit, diffuse, radiate. 11. disperse, scatter, publish, circulate, promulgate, propagate. 15. stretch, dilate. 24. reach, compass. Unabridged
Cite This Source
Examples from the web for spread
  • The group's current mission is to spread economic development to the rest of the world.
  • The idea is to signify some level of unification and to spread awareness.
  • Miners should spread their risks across countries as well as minerals.
  • Biologists have discovered that amphibian diseases are spread by bait shops.
  • The ability to spread underlies the killing power of cancer.
  • As the country's growing population spread west and south, so too did cricket.
  • Right now, antibiotics work by interfering with bacterial function or their spread.
British Dictionary definitions for spread


verb spreads, spreading, spread
to extend or unfold or be extended or unfolded to the fullest width: she spread the map on the table
to extend or cause to extend over a larger expanse of space or time: the milk spread all over the floor, the political unrest spread over several years
to apply or be applied in a coating: butter does not spread very well when cold
to distribute or be distributed over an area or region
to display or be displayed in its fullest extent: the landscape spread before us
(transitive) to prepare (a table) for a meal
(transitive) to lay out (a meal) on a table
to send or be sent out in all directions; disseminate or be disseminated: someone has been spreading rumours, the disease spread quickly
(of rails, wires, etc) to force or be forced apart
to increase the breadth of (a part), esp to flatten the head of a rivet by pressing, hammering, or forging
(transitive) (agriculture)
  1. to lay out (hay) in a relatively thin layer to dry
  2. to scatter (seed, manure, etc) over a relatively wide area
(informal) (transitive) often foll by around. to make (oneself) agreeable to a large number of people, often of the opposite sex
(phonetics) to narrow and lengthen the aperture of (the lips) as for the articulation of a front vowel, such as () in English see (siː)
the act or process of spreading; diffusion, dispersal, expansion, etc: the spread of the Christian religion
(informal) the wingspan of an aircraft
an extent of space or time; stretch: a spread of 50 years
(informal, mainly US & Canadian) a ranch or relatively large tract of land
the limit of something fully extended: the spread of a bird's wings
a covering for a table or bed
(informal) a large meal or feast, esp when it is laid out on a table
a food which can be spread on bread, etc: salmon spread
two facing pages in a book or other publication
a widening of the hips and waist: middle-age spread
(stock exchange)
  1. the difference between the bid and offer prices quoted by a market maker
  2. the excess of the price at which stock is offered for public sale over the price paid for the same stock by an underwriter
  3. (mainly US) a double option Compare straddle (sense 9)
(jewellery) the apparent size of a gemstone when viewed from above expressed in carats: a diamond with a spread of four carats
extended or stretched out, esp to the fullest extent
(of a gem) shallow and flat
  1. (of the lips) forming a long narrow aperture
  2. (of speech sounds) articulated with spread lips: () in English "feel" is a spread vowel
Derived Forms
spreadability, noun
spreadable, adjective
Word Origin
Old English sprǣdan; related to Old High German spreiten to spread, Old Lithuanian sprainas stiff
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
Cite This Source
Word Origin and History for spread

c.1200, "to stretch out, to send in various directions," probably from Old English -sprædan (especially in tosprædan "to spread out," and gesprædung "spreading"), from Proto-Germanic *spraidijanan (cf. Danish sprede, Old Swedish spreda, Middle Dutch spreiden, Old High German and German spreiten "to spread"), probably from PIE *sper- "to strew" (see sprout (v.)). Reflexive sense of "to extend, expand" is attested from mid-14c.


1690s, "extent or expanse of something," from spread (v.). Meaning "copious meal" dates from 1822; sense of "food for spreading" (butter, jam, etc.) is from 1812. Sense of "bed cover" is recorded from 1848, originally American English. Meaning "degree of variation" is attested from 1929. Meaning "ranch for raising cattle" is attested from 1927.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Slang definitions & phrases for spread

spot market

noun phrase

The free market in petroleum, outside the price scales set by the producers' organization

[1982+; spot oil is found by 1888]

Copyright (C) 2007 by HarperCollins Publishers.
Cite This Source

Word of the Day

Difficulty index for spread

All English speakers likely know this word

Word Value for spread

Scrabble Words With Friends

Quotes with spread