as in infectious
exciting a similar feeling or reaction in others
spreading enthusiasm that got our club rolling again
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
1
as in disseminating
to cause to be known over a considerable area or by many people
spread the news!
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in applying
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 circulating
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 transmitting
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 separating
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 increasing
to become greater in size, extent, volume, amount, or number
dissatisfaction with the new administration is spreading rapidly
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of spreading
Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 3 Nov. 2025
Animation is spreading to ever corner of Latin America.
—John Hopewell, Variety, 3 Nov. 2025
Mint is known for its aggressive spreading behavior.
—Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 2 Nov. 2025
Though the plants are related, due to the risk of diseases spreading between them, it is not recommended to plant blackberries and raspberries closely together.
—Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 1 Nov. 2025
Tropical storm conditions are spreading over Bermuda at this time, with hurricane conditions expected there tonight.
—Miami Herald Hurricane Bot, Miami Herald, 31 Oct. 2025
Conspiracy theories have, according to The New York Times, been spreading since the 1970s about the various moon landings that started when American astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin stepped off their lunar module on July 21, 1969.
—Adam Carlson, PEOPLE, 30 Oct. 2025
Generally, taking up space from somebody else’s chair by spreading your belongings around is not considered acceptable on a plane, where individual space is already limited.
—Maria Azzurra Volpe, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Oct. 2025
The measles outbreak along the state line between Arizona and Utah has grown to more than 100 cases since mid-August, spreading largely in unvaccinated communities.
—Deidre McPhillips, CNN Money, 27 Oct. 2025
Verb
And in 2008, the site allowed users to create their own feeds—called subreddits—creating popular threads on topics like politics and science, but also spreading controversial content.
—Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 3 Nov. 2025
Animation is spreading to ever corner of Latin America.
—John Hopewell, Variety, 3 Nov. 2025
Mint is known for its aggressive spreading behavior.
—Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 2 Nov. 2025
Though the plants are related, due to the risk of diseases spreading between them, it is not recommended to plant blackberries and raspberries closely together.
—Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 1 Nov. 2025
Tropical storm conditions are spreading over Bermuda at this time, with hurricane conditions expected there tonight.
—Miami Herald Hurricane Bot, Miami Herald, 31 Oct. 2025
Conspiracy theories have, according to The New York Times, been spreading since the 1970s about the various moon landings that started when American astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin stepped off their lunar module on July 21, 1969.
—Adam Carlson, PEOPLE, 30 Oct. 2025
Generally, taking up space from somebody else’s chair by spreading your belongings around is not considered acceptable on a plane, where individual space is already limited.
—Maria Azzurra Volpe, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Oct. 2025
The measles outbreak along the state line between Arizona and Utah has grown to more than 100 cases since mid-August, spreading largely in unvaccinated communities.
—Deidre McPhillips, CNN Money, 27 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spreading
Adjective
-
For her part, BunnaB, beloved for her infectious, near-constant laughs, has separated herself from this ascendant pack by infusing her bubbly disposition, girl’s girl attitude, unfettered authenticity — and the unmistakable gravity of earning a second shot.—
Kyle Denis,
Billboard,
5 Nov. 2025
-
He will be sorely missed by his many, many friends who grew to love his charm, his wit, his infectious laugh and his innate sense of style.—
Brie Stimson,
FOXNews.com,
5 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
But Drexel and her family see this as a rare window of opportunity before Jin’s potential indictment for illegally disseminating information online – which, Drexel said, would make his release much harder to negotiate.—
Jessie Yeung,
CNN Money,
29 Oct. 2025
-
During a pandemic that had stripped millions of their livelihoods, I was being offered an entry-level wage higher than what 90 percent of the formal workforce earned, all for disseminating misinformation.—
Snigdha Poonam,
The Dial,
28 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Many major airlines are also waiving change fees and penalties for passengers who are looking to switch their flights on their own, though some carriers are applying limits.—
Rob Wile,
NBC news,
7 Nov. 2025
-
Thompson immediately began applying for jobs, including DoorDash, grocery stores and substitute teaching.—
Jordan Greene,
PEOPLE,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
This week in Thessaloniki, industry professionals have been circulating leaflets and Visibility Zero campaign buttons, hoping to raise awareness about their struggle by ensuring that the movement is anything but invisible to festival guests.—
Christopher Vourlias,
Variety,
7 Nov. 2025
-
Videos circulating on social media showed dozens of students in school uniform running in panic across the school's basketball court, some covering their ears with their hands, apparently to protect themselves from the loud blasts.—
NPR,
NPR,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Sedarat is charged with two counts of transmitting a threat in interstate or foreign commerce, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine if convicted.—
Michael Ruiz,
FOXNews.com,
6 Nov. 2025
-
Sederat was charged with two counts of transmitting a threat in interstate commerce, prosecutors said.—
Tom Winter,
NBC news,
5 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Yet, asked specifically about the fine hairs separating the top three undefeated teams in this first ranking, Mack Rhoades, the committee chair and athletic director at Baylor, sounded like a man torn between numbers and gut feelings.—
Dana O’Neil,
CNN Money,
5 Nov. 2025
-
To overcome the challenge, the scientists used state-of-the-art machine learning algorithms to sift through massive amounts of data, separating the elusive tWZ signal from background noise.—
Georgina Jedikovska,
Interesting Engineering,
4 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Many are pulling six-day work weeks with mandatory overtime, and increasing numbers have begun calling out as the financial strain and exhaustion mount.—
JOSH FUNK,
Arkansas Online,
8 Nov. 2025
-
The military is striking the boats at the same time the administration is applying increasing pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.—
NPR,
NPR,
8 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
The two-day trial of ten people accused of sexist cyberbullying against France’s First Lady Brigitte Macron by propagating fake and malicious claims about her sexuality and gender began in Paris on Monday.—
Melanie Goodfellow,
Deadline,
27 Oct. 2025
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The idea of waves propagating through a barrier has been around for a long time, since before the existence of quantum mechanics.—
Ethan Siegel,
Big Think,
8 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Spreading.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spreading. Accessed 11 Nov. 2025.
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