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
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show current usage.
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Recent Examples of spreading
Ben Smith, semafor.com, 20 Oct. 2025
Contain the mess by spreading an old sheet on the floor to catch any dust that falls, and make sure everything is dry before turning the fan on again.
—Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 20 Oct. 2025
If the cell quickly self-destructs, that will prevent the virus from spreading throughout the body.
—Viviane Callier, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2025
During the South Carolina schools’ quarantine, five students began to show symptoms, but the quarantine kept them from spreading it, the health department said this month.
—Audrey Dutton, ProPublica, 20 Oct. 2025
New development has been spreading west from uptown on Wilkinson Boulevard, including new apartments and town homes.
—Charlotte Observer, 20 Oct. 2025
For the first time, the iconic New York City Halloween dog parade was hosted by New York Dog Parade, a nonprofit dedicated to spreading cheer and helping pets through dog-centric events.
—Kelli Bender, PEOPLE, 19 Oct. 2025
Add the top slice, then cut the sandwiches into quarters before spreading on the extra cheese mixture.
—Karla Walsh, Better Homes & Gardens, 19 Oct. 2025
Anger is spreading over rising utility bills Furor over rising utility bills has emerged as an issue in gubernatorial races in New Jersey and Virginia and could shape the 2026 midterms, according to The Washington Post.
—Daniel De Visé, USA Today, 18 Oct. 2025
Verb
The videos Pritzker has been encouraging would mostly be spreading anyway.
—Ben Smith, semafor.com, 20 Oct. 2025
Contain the mess by spreading an old sheet on the floor to catch any dust that falls, and make sure everything is dry before turning the fan on again.
—Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 20 Oct. 2025
If the cell quickly self-destructs, that will prevent the virus from spreading throughout the body.
—Viviane Callier, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2025
During the South Carolina schools’ quarantine, five students began to show symptoms, but the quarantine kept them from spreading it, the health department said this month.
—Audrey Dutton, ProPublica, 20 Oct. 2025
New development has been spreading west from uptown on Wilkinson Boulevard, including new apartments and town homes.
—Charlotte Observer, 20 Oct. 2025
For the first time, the iconic New York City Halloween dog parade was hosted by New York Dog Parade, a nonprofit dedicated to spreading cheer and helping pets through dog-centric events.
—Kelli Bender, PEOPLE, 19 Oct. 2025
Add the top slice, then cut the sandwiches into quarters before spreading on the extra cheese mixture.
—Karla Walsh, Better Homes & Gardens, 19 Oct. 2025
Anger is spreading over rising utility bills Furor over rising utility bills has emerged as an issue in gubernatorial races in New Jersey and Virginia and could shape the 2026 midterms, according to The Washington Post.
—Daniel De Visé, USA Today, 18 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spreading
Adjective
-
The first band to sign with MASS MoCA Records is the infectious, awesome Kasambwe Brothers.—
Jed Gottlieb,
Boston Herald,
12 Oct. 2025
-
All that behind a gorgeous smile, razor sharp wit and infectious laugh.—
Giana Levy,
Variety,
11 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The Florida International University graduate has worked for Google’s philanthropy arm for the past 13 years in disaster response and most recently disseminating grants across the Americas, but left his job earlier this month to hit the campaign trail full-time.—
Claire Heddles,
Miami Herald,
15 Oct. 2025
-
Cultural and institutional barriers to disseminating them have decreased.—
Zeynep Tufekci,
Mercury News,
16 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
To plug the gaps, faculty have been frantically applying for nonfederal sources of money.—
Katherine J. Wu,
The Atlantic,
16 Oct. 2025
-
Overloading the joints or applying excessive torque may cause mechanical deformation or servo damage, according to reports.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
16 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Rumors of retirement tours have been circulating, sparked by John Cena's farewell tour for his career throughout the year.—
Matthew Couden,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 Oct. 2025
-
Zarutska's family has requested that media outlets stop circulating the shocking video.—
Charlotte Phillipp,
PEOPLE,
18 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
While ultrafast and squeezed light pulses have been separately used for transmitting data, combining them enhances both speed and security.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
6 Oct. 2025
-
Black and Afro-descendant women in Colombia are at the heart of these songs, transmitting this legacy from generation to generation.—
Karla Gachet,
NPR,
1 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Trudeau went through a public split of his own in 2023, separating from estranged wife Sophie Gregoire.—
Hannah Dailey,
Billboard,
14 Oct. 2025
-
By separating, the two new entities should trade at multiples closer to their industry peers, and their combined values should be worth more than what DuPont currently trades at, which was around $76 per share on Monday for a market capitalization of about $32 billion.—
Jeff Marks,
CNBC,
13 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The echoes of this feeling resounded clearly three centuries later in the increasing disconnect between suburban mobility and localism.—
JSTOR Daily,
JSTOR Daily,
18 Oct. 2025
-
Districts saw little improvement overall, with the average score increasing by half a percentage point in both subjects.—
Erick Trevino,
AZCentral.com,
18 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
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
-
Such a blatant falsehood making it to the press conference betrays the fact that there is no limit to how false something has to be in order for this administration to resist propagating it.—
Rafael Perez,
Oc Register,
25 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Spreading.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spreading. Accessed 21 Oct. 2025.
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