spread out

verb

spread out; spreading out; spreads out

1

: to open, arrange, or place (something) over a large area

He spread out the map on the table.

He spread the cards out on the table.

The cards were spread out across the table.

2

: to be open, arranged, or extended over a large area

The city is spread out over a wide area.

3

: to move (parts of the body) outward or away from each other

Spread your arms out.

There's no room on the couch to spread yourself out.

4

: to divide up (something) over a period of time or among members of a group

They spread the work out among the committee members.

The course is spread out over two semesters.

5

: to move apart from the other members of a group especially to search an area

The police spread out to search the area faster.

Examples of spread out in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

But with the family spread out around the US, trying to secure appointments with the consulates — where the waiting lists can top years — proved impossible. — Julia Buckley, CNN Money, 4 Aug. 2026

Since then, Jabees has improved on its design, with a compact twin-speaker unit that folds up into a compact package when not in use and spreads out flat under any pillow when needed. — New Atlas, 3 Aug. 2026

The Army believes these features could help keep communication strong during large-scale combat, even when forces are spread out and fighting at long range. — Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 3 Aug. 2026

In April 2019, as the investigation was well underway, a delegation of about half a dozen veteran Kauai cops in full uniform spread out across the gallery of the County Council chambers. — Guthrie Scrimgeour, Rolling Stone, 2 Aug. 2026

Rhymes for spread out

• about
• bailout
• blackout
• blowout
• breakout
• burnout
• buyout
• checkout
• closeout
• cutout
• devout
• dropout