spread

present singular third person spreads · participle present spreading

1. transitiveTo stretch out, open out (a material etc.) so that it more fully covers a given area of space.First known use 13th c.

   He spread his newspaper on the table.

2. transitiveTo extend (individual rays, limbs etc.); to stretch out in varying or opposing directions. simple past and past participle of spreadFirst known use 13th c.

   I spread my arms wide and welcomed him home.

3. transitiveTo disperse, to scatter or distribute over a given area.First known use 13th c.

   I spread the rice grains evenly over the floor.

   Synonyms: sow, suffuse, pervade

4. intransitiveTo proliferate; to become more widely present, to be disseminated.First known use 13th c.

   As the Erzurum affair indicated, the janissaries in the provinces and in the capital city were in close touch, and thus the movements were quick to spread to Istanbul.

   2018, Pál Fodor, The Business of State. Ottoman Finance Administration and Ruling Elites in Transition (1580s–1615) (Studien zur Sprache, Geschichte und Kultur der Turkvölker; 28), Berlin: Klaus Schwarz Verlag × De Gruyter, published 2020, →DOI, →ISBN, page 50

   2 more examples

   Whether modern, industrial man is less or more warlike than his hunter-gatherer ancestors is impossible to determine.[…]One thing that is true, though, is that murder rates have fallen over the centuries, as policing has spread and the routine carrying of weapons has diminished. Modern society may not have done anything about war. But peace is a lot more peaceful.

   2013 July 20, “Old soldiers?”, in The Economist, volume 408, number 8845

   I placed my hands on his cheeks, and this time, I kissed him. “Don't worry, I'm not going to let anything spoil our day. It's just you and me.” A sad smile spread across his face, and I could tell he wanted to believe me, but didn't.

   2018 June 25, L.P. Dover, Going for the Hole, Books by L.P. Dover, LLC

5. transitiveTo disseminate; to cause to proliferate, to make (something) widely known or present.First known use 14th c.

   The missionaries quickly spread their new message across the country.

   Synonyms: sweep

6. intransitiveTo take up a larger area or space; to expand, be extended.First known use 14th c.

   I dropped my glass; the water spread quickly over the tiled floor.

   Synonyms: sweep

7. transitiveTo smear, to distribute in a thin layer.First known use 16th c.

   She liked to spread butter on her toast while it was still hot.

8. transitiveTo cover (something) with a thin layer of some substance, as of butter.First known use 16th c.

   He always spreads his toast with peanut butter and strawberry jam.

9. To prepare; to set and furnish with provisions.

   to spread a table

   1 more example

   And Enid brought sweet cakes to make them cheer, / And in her veil enfolded, manchet bread. / And then, because their hall must also serve / For kitchen, boil'd the flesh, and spread the board, / And stood behind, and waited on the three.

   1859, Alfred Tennyson, “Enid”, in Idylls of the King, London: Edward Moxon & Co., […], →OCLC, page 21

10. intransitiveslangTo open one’s legs, especially for sexual favours.First known use 20th c.

    Yes I wore a slinky red thing. Does that mean I should spread for you, your friends, your father, Mr Ed?

    1991, Tori Amos, Me and a Gun

    2 more examples

    This often sounds like the rap of a demented DJ: the way she moves has got to be good news, can't get loose till I feel the juice— suck and spread, bitch, yeah bounce for me baby.

    1984, Martin Amis, Money

    I don't want to move too fast, but / Can't resist your sexy ass / Just spread, spread for me; / (I can't, I can't wait to get you home)

    2003, Outkast, "Spread" (from the album Speakerboxxx/The Love Below)

plural spreads

1. countableuncountableThe act of spreading.

   No flower hath that kind of spread that the woodbine hath.

   1627 (indicated as 1626), Francis [Bacon], “(please specify the page, or |century=I to X)”, in Sylua Syluarum: Or A Naturall Historie. In Ten Centuries. […], London: […] William Rawley […]; [p]rinted by J[ohn] H[aviland] for William Lee […], →OCLC

2. countableuncountableSomething that has been spread.
3. countableuncountablecartomancyA layout, pattern or design of cards arranged for a reading.
4. countableuncountableAn expanse of land.

   November 29, 1712, Andrew Freeport, a letter to The Spectator I have got a fine spread of improvable lands.

5. countableuncountableA large tract of land used to raise livestock; a cattle ranch.

   - Can't wait till I get my own spread and won't have to put up with Joe Aguirre's crap no more.

   2005, Brokeback Mountain (film), 00:11:50

6. countableuncountableA piece of material used as a cover (such as a bedspread).

   Linen shawls and spreads show up in secondhand clothing stores like those in the row on St. Marks Place in New York City.

   1975, Douglas Matthews, Suzanne Wymelenberg, Susan Cheever Cowley, Secondhand is Better, page 166

7. countableuncountableA large meal, especially one laid out on a table.
8. countableuncountableusuallybreadAny form of food designed to be spread, such as butters or jams.

   Ferd liked to experiment with sandwich spreads ― the one he liked most was cream-cheese, olives, anchovy and avocado, mashed up with a little mayonnaise ― but Oscar always had the same pink luncheon-meat.

   1958 May, Avram Davidson, “Or All The Seas With Oysters”, in Galaxy Science Fiction

9. countableuncountablegovernmentA set of multiple torpedoes launched on side-by-side, slowly-diverging paths toward one or more enemy ships.

   Johnston, meanwhile, has managed to get within five miles of its target, and fires a full spread of ten torpedoes. Minutes later, at least two, possibly three, tear the bow off the hapless cruiser Kumano. First blood, unbelievably, therefore, goes to the Americans.

   2019 February 27, Drachinifel, 18:01 from the start, in The Battle of Samar - Odds? What are those?, archived from the original on 03 Nov 2022

10. slanguncountableFood improvised by inmates from various ingredients to relieve the tedium of prison food.

    Synonyms: swole

11. countableuncountableAn item in a newspaper or magazine that occupies more than one column or page.
12. countableuncountableTwo facing pages in a book, newspaper etc.
13. countableuncountableA numerical difference.
14. countableuncountablemathematicsA measure of how far the data tend to deviate from the average.

    The spread is usually measured using standard deviation and variance.

15. countableuncountablebusinessThe difference between the wholesale and retail prices.
16. countableuncountablebusinessThe difference between the price of a futures month and the price of another month of the same commodity.
17. countableuncountablebusinessThe purchase of a futures contract of one delivery month against the sale of another futures delivery month of the same commodity.
18. countableuncountablebusinessThe purchase of one delivery month of one commodity against the sale of that same delivery month of a different commodity.
19. countableuncountablebusinessAn arbitrage transaction of the same commodity in two markets, executed to take advantage of a profit from price discrepancies.
20. countableuncountablebusinessThe difference between bidding and asking price.
21. countableuncountablebusinessThe difference between the prices of two similar items.
22. countableuncountablegeometryAn unlimited expanse of discontinuous points.
23. countableuncountableThe surface in proportion to the depth of a cut gemstone.
24. countableuncountableExcessive width of the trails of ink written on overly absorbent paper.
25. countableuncountablegamblingThe difference between the teams' final scores at the end of a sport match.

    1 more example

    College basketball games don't lack for gambling propositions—the moneyline, a straightforward wager on which team will win; the over-under gamble on the total number of points scored by both teams—but the most popular wager is the spread. The spread represents the predicted difference between the two teams in the final score of the game.

    2015 April 10, John Paul Rollert, “Vegas Odds”, in Harper's Magazine, New York, N.Y.: Harper's Magazine Foundation, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 20 Jan 2022

present singular third person spreads · participle present spreading

1. intransitivetransitivedebating slangTo speedread; to recite one's arguments at an extremely fast pace.

   You're assuming that if someone spreads they aren't a good orator. That's flawed logic.

   2022 July 8, u/chromantical, “spreading is cringe and should be stopped”, in Reddit, r/Debate, archived from the original on 17 Dec 2023

   1 more example

   In my first year on the circuit, I learned to spread and did decently well. I won most of my rounds, not that I could tell you how I did it.

   2022 September, Tess McNulty, “Both Sides Now”, in Harper's Magazine, New York, N.Y.: Harper's Magazine Foundation, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 23 Mar 2023

plural spreads

1. debating slangAn act or instance of spreading (speedreading).

   It's one L ur chillin just keep practicing read the ballets figure what you did wrong and practice with improvements in mind, get better at spreads and k theory debates.

   2023 February 27, u/Objective-Sugar8720, “Bad tournament, how do I cope?”, in Reddit, r/Debate, archived from the original on 17 Dec 2023

   1 more example

   If debate is a game, then the execution of a "spread" is like a well-timed blitz in football. Convincing a judge that your opponents' arguments would cause human extinction is equivalent to a successful Hail Mary pass.

   2017 September 26, Jack McCordick, “The Corrosion of High School Debate—And How It Mirrors American Politics”, in America, New York, N.Y.: America Press Inc., →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 21 Jun 2023