spreader

S1P3R1E1A1D2E1R1
US/ˈspɹɛdɚ/

noun

An object or person who spreads.

“James used a spreader to butter her bagel.”

Less commonScrabble 11

Meanings

nounspreader (plural spreaders)

plural spreaders

  1. An object or person who spreads.
  2. A spacer or device for keeping two objects apart.
  3. A device used to spread bulk material.

    Ellen put grass seed on the lawn with a seed spreader.

  4. A knife or spatula used to distribute a substance such as butter or jelly.

    James used a spreader to butter her bagel.

  5. nauticalA horizontal athwartships spar attached to the mast of a sailboat in order to extend the shrouds away from the mast.
  6. A machine for combining and drawing fibers of flax to form a sliver preparatory to spinning.
  7. The moving platform of a container crane.
  8. A horizontal bar or frame attached to two or more points on a load, enabling the load to be lifted, especially by crane, with greater stability and more even spread of forces.
  9. slangcomputingA member of a cracking group who distributes warez.

    Spreaders uploaded the games to an online BBS to distribute the games as quickly as possible to as many people as possible.

    2017, Oliver Markus Malloy, Bad Choices Make Good Stories: Going to New York

Synonyms & antonyms

nouna mechanical device for scattering something (seed or fertilizer or sand etc.) in all directions

Broader
mechanical device
Also see

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

Translations

Bulgarian разпространител, разделител
  • разпространител (razprostranitel)object or person who spreads
  • разделител (razdelitel)spacer
  • разпънка (razpănka)spacer
  • разпръсквачка (razprăskvačka)device used to spread bulk material
Czech šiřitel, šiřitelka
  • šiřitelobject or person who spreads
  • šiřitelkaobject or person who spreads
Danish salingshorn
  • salingshornhorizontal spar attached to the mast of a sailboat in order to extend the shrouds
Dutch ra
  • rahorizontal spar attached to the mast of a sailboat in order to extend the shrouds
Finnish levittäjä, levittäjä
  • levittäjäobject or person who spreads
  • levittäjäspacer
  • levitinspacer
  • levitindevice used to spread bulk material
  • levitinknife or spatula used to distribute a substance
  • saalinkihorizontal spar attached to the mast of a sailboat in order to extend the shrouds
  • vantinlevittäjähorizontal spar attached to the mast of a sailboat in order to extend the shrouds
  • spriidarihorizontal spar attached to the mast of a sailboat in order to extend the shrouds
French épandeur, séparateur
  • épandeurobject or person who spreads
  • séparateurspacer
  • épandeurdevice used to spread bulk material
Māori kihau, tītoko
  • kihauhorizontal spar attached to the mast of a sailboat in order to extend the shrouds
  • tītokohorizontal spar attached to the mast of a sailboat in order to extend the shrouds
Norwegian salingshorn
  • salingshornhorizontal spar attached to the mast of a sailboat in order to extend the shrouds
Polish reja
  • rejahorizontal spar attached to the mast of a sailboat in order to extend the shrouds
Russian распространи́тель, распо́рка
  • распространи́тель (rasprostranítelʹ)object or person who spreads
  • распо́рка (raspórka)spacer
  • распо́рка (raspórka)device used to spread bulk material
  • ре́я (réja)horizontal spar attached to the mast of a sailboat in order to extend the shrouds
  • рей (rej)horizontal spar attached to the mast of a sailboat in order to extend the shrouds

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with spreader

All rhymes →

Anagrams

Cite this entry
APA

spreader. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/spreader

MLA

“spreader.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/spreader. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “spreader,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/spreader.

Source: spreader on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.