SPREADING Synonyms: 170 Similar and Opposite Words

spreading 1 of 2

adjective

as in infectious

exciting a similar feeling or reaction in others spreading enthusiasm that got our club rolling again

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spreading

2 of 2

verb

present participle of spread

as in disseminating

to cause to be known over a considerable area or by many people spread the news!

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in applying

to put a layer of on a surface we spread the fertilizer over the lawn evenly until it was fully covered

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as in circulating

to become known once news of the war's end had spread, spontaneous celebrations broke out everywhere

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as in transmitting

to cause (something) to pass from one to another living conditions that help to spread chicken pox

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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

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as in increasing

to become greater in size, extent, volume, amount, or number dissatisfaction with the new administration is spreading rapidly

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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 spreading

Verb

The bumper is designed to break up any incoming debris particles, spreading the impact energy over a larger area of the wall. — Jennifer Ouellette, ArsTechnica, 8 Sep. 2026 The attack can also hit both Android and iOS WeChat accounts, spreading itself through phone calls on the app. — Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 8 Sep. 2026 This includes fabric spreaders, feeders, roll loaders, spreading tables and related software. — Arthur Zaczkiewicz, Footwear News, 8 Sep. 2026 In Bandar Abbas, the effects are spreading through nearly every layer of the economy, from ships and dock workers to customs-clearing companies and shopkeepers. — ABC News, 8 Sep. 2026 The risks were also spreading from the digital world to the physical world as AI models increasingly play a role in commanding robots inside warehouses, factories, and scientific labs. — Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 8 Sep. 2026 Now in business with his son, the Romanos hope to continue spreading the love. — Noelle Lilley, CBS News, 8 Sep. 2026 This prevents the batter above the pan from spreading into a wide, muffin top. — Torie Cox, Southern Living, 7 Sep. 2026 Generative AI videos of late-night talk show hosts are increasingly spreading on social media. — Brittney Melton, NPR, 1 Sep. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for spreading

Adjective

Public health experts said the move amounted to extraordinary political interference in the authority of a state health department and an effort to minimize the risks of the highly infectious virus.

— Reuters, USA Today, 5 Sep. 2026
The patients had gone to UCLA for cancer and infectious-disease treatments, high-risk women’s services, major organ transplants and other specialty medicine care, the association said.

— Melody Petersen, Los Angeles Times, 5 Sep. 2026

Definition of infectious

Verb

Internally at the studios, copyright divisions spend their energy targeting larger criminal operations enabling these digital pirates — the hives sharing and disseminating premium content.

— Gene Maddaus, Variety, 21 Aug. 2026
Wheeler says teams should support their internal experts in publishing and disseminating their unique perspectives.

— Gary Drenik, Forbes.com, 20 Aug. 2026

Definition of disseminating

Verb

The billionaire chairman and CEO of WorldQuant has been a pioneer in applying AI and other technologies to vast collections of data, looking to build predictive models from historical information.

— Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson, semafor.com, 11 Sep. 2026
The tradeoff is that applying for the new card will typically result in a hard inquiry, which may cause a small, but temporary, credit score decline.

— Angelica Leicht, CBS News, 10 Sep. 2026

Definition of applying

Verb

Under a contract with Idaho Power, Meta will pay to buy all of the electricity produced by the three new solar plants, plus a share of the systemwide costs of transmitting power to the data center, Berg said in July.

— Mark Dee, Idaho Statesman, 4 Sep. 2026
Clearly, the impacts of the AI investment surge are spilling beyond the tech sector itself, gradually transmitting into corporate bond issuance, long-term interest rates, and the broader debate surrounding US monetary policy.

— , CNBC, 4 Sep. 2026

Definition of transmitting

Verb

Musk married Justine in 2000, and the couple had six children together before separating in 2008.

— Angelique Brenes, PEOPLE, 10 Sep. 2026
Their relationship is tested by family pressure, class differences and the economic and cultural realities separating their lives in France and India.

— Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 10 Sep. 2026

Definition of separating

Verb

According to Borges de Moraes, cases like Pourrain’s are increasing under the current administration.

— Felipe Cardenas, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026
Cancer rising among younger ages The question of why colorectal cancer cases are increasing among younger adults has been an ongoing one within medicine.

— Jacqueline Howard, CNN Money, 9 Sep. 2026

Definition of increasing

Verb

Rather than propagating vertically toward the electrodes, the dendrites spread horizontally inside the electrolyte.

— Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 28 Aug. 2026
Instead, Shanahan recommends layering, a method of propagating new plants from a still-living thyme specimen.

— Alexandra Jones, The Spruce, 11 Aug. 2026