1
as in to disseminate
to cause to be known over a considerable area or by many people
spread the news!
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to apply
to put a layer of on a surface
we spread the fertilizer over the lawn evenly until it was fully covered
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to circulate
to become known
once news of the war's end had spread, spontaneous celebrations broke out everywhere
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in to transmit
to cause (something) to pass from one to another
living conditions that help to spread chicken pox
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in to divide
to go or move in different directions from a central point
the walls of the old barn spread under the weight of the snow on the roof
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
6
as in to increase
to become greater in size, extent, volume, amount, or number
dissatisfaction with the new administration is spreading rapidly
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in quilt
a decorative cloth used as a top covering for a bed
bought a brightly colored spread for summer
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in dinner
a large fancy meal often accompanied by ceremony or entertainment
they really know how to put out a good spread
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in expansion
a wide space or area
a vast spread of land just waiting to be settled
Synonyms & Similar Words
4
5
as in distance
the space or amount of space between two points, lines, surfaces, or objects
a spread of nearly 100 miles between farms
Synonyms & Similar Words
as in to expand
to arrange the parts of (something) over a wider area
let's spread the puzzle out on the floor and see what we've got
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of spread
Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 Apr. 2025
News of Baek-jin taking tens of thousands of dollars out of the burner account spreads discord among Baek-jin’s ranks, who are only in it for the money.
—Kayti Burt, Time, 26 Apr. 2025
Julia Harrison, Architectural Digest, 22 Apr. 2025
On April 22, 2025 Information Confirmed By Newsweek Sports Betting Staff
Browse through the different spreads, totals and props to find your favorite market for your qualifying wager.
—Ross Rosenfeld, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for spread
Verb
Perkins spread the ball around, with seven different players recording a catch.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 Apr. 2025
News of Baek-jin taking tens of thousands of dollars out of the burner account spreads discord among Baek-jin’s ranks, who are only in it for the money.
—Kayti Burt, Time, 26 Apr. 2025
Noun
No butter knives struggling to slice through a solid rind or chef’s knives cluttering the spread.
—Julia Harrison, Architectural Digest, 22 Apr. 2025
On April 22, 2025 Information Confirmed By Newsweek Sports Betting Staff
Browse through the different spreads, totals and props to find your favorite market for your qualifying wager.
—Ross Rosenfeld, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for spread
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spread
Noun
-
An employee walks past a quilt displaying Etsy Inc. signage at the company’s headquarters in the Brooklyn.—
Annie Palmer,
CNBC,
17 Apr. 2025
-
Bedding Deals Swap heavy bedding for lightweight, cooling quilts, sheets, and gel fiber bed pillows to avoid overheating at night.—
Ali Faccenda,
People.com,
17 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Choose from fluid midi skirts, like Tory Burch’s deconstructed option or Ulla Johnson’s perfectly polished A-line style, which can go from the office to a dinner out, in seconds flat.—
Kristina Rutkowski,
Vogue,
15 Apr. 2025
-
Merit hosted a dinner during Paris Fashion Week to soft launch the products in the region with an audience of tastemakers in the beauty and fashion industry.—
Hikmat Mohammed,
Footwear News,
14 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
The funds will be used to bankroll the expansion of the flagship FPSO business as well as a growing green energy portfolio under Yinson Renewables, a subsidiary that has solar and wind power projects in multiple countries.—
Jonathan Burgos,
Forbes.com,
17 Apr. 2025
-
This also includes the expansion of the company’s Solomeo headquarters, already partly operational in 2025, and the production capacity for the 10-year project running from 2024 to 2033.—
Sofia Celeste,
Footwear News,
16 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
On the other end of the spectrum, those who majored in education earn less than a 6% median ROI.—
Kamaron McNair,
CNBC,
18 Apr. 2025
-
On one end of the spectrum, institutional investors are dismayed at the company’s pullback from its ambitious climate targets.—
Justin Worland,
Time,
18 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Maintain a safe distance from water, wet items, and metal objects.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
23 Apr. 2025
-
The lake is nine feet deep at a 35-foot distance from the shoreline, according to the university.—
Madison E. Goldberg,
People.com,
23 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
The genius of the banquet sequence is that, even if the festivities do mark a collective release of tension, as Lee the bit player notes, Lee the director insures that the pressure never stops building.—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
19 Apr. 2025
-
Chaos ensues when Min’s formidable grandmother (Yuh-jung Youn) makes the trek from Korea to throw her grandson a wedding banquet.—
Jessica Wang,
EW.com,
19 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
That’s much lower than in a lab-grade vacuum, yet across vast expanses of space, even very low particle densities can add up, so Barnard 68’s tenuous material is still enough to absorb essentially all the light that would otherwise just pass through.—
Phil Plait,
Scientific American,
25 Apr. 2025
-
Spanning northwest New Jersey, the district is a mix of rural expanses with rolling hills and river towns, with dense urban pockets en route to New York.—
Savannah Kuchar,
USA Today,
24 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Now Trump is once again withdrawing the U.S. After Francis' 2015 encyclical, researchers examined a broad range of views, well beyond the President.—
Jeff Brady,
NPR,
21 Apr. 2025
-
Periods of mourning range from three days (Chile, Dominican Republic, Lebanon and Spain) up to nine days, which is the traditional period of mourning at the Vatican, known as Novemdiales, during which daily masses and ceremonies are being held in memory of the pope.—
Morgan Winsor,
ABC News,
21 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Spread.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spread. Accessed 1 May. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share