Lexic.us

Definition of Spread

1. Noun. Process or result of distributing or extending over a wide expanse of space.

2. Adjective. Distributed or spread over a considerable extent. "Eleven million Jews are spread throughout Europe"

3. Verb. Distribute or disperse widely. "The invaders spread their language all over the country"

4. Verb. Become distributed or widespread. "Optimism spread among the population"

5. Noun. A conspicuous disparity or difference as between two figures. "The spread between lending and borrowing costs"

6. Adjective. Prepared or arranged for a meal; especially having food set out. "A table spread with food"

7. Verb. Spread across or over. "A big oil spot spread across the water"

8. Adjective. Fully extended in width. "With arms spread wide"

9. Noun. Farm consisting of a large tract of land along with facilities needed to raise livestock (especially cattle).

10. Verb. Spread out or open from a closed or folded state. "Spread your arms"

11. Noun. A haphazard distribution in all directions.

12. Verb. Cause to become widely known. "Broadcast the news"

13. Noun. A tasty mixture to be spread on bread or crackers or used in preparing other dishes.

14. Verb. Become widely known and passed on. "The story went around in the office"

15. Noun. A meal that is well prepared and greatly enjoyed. "They put out quite a spread"

16. Verb. Strew or distribute over an area. "Scatter cards across the table"

17. Noun. Two facing pages of a book or other publication.

18. Noun. The expansion of a person's girth (especially at middle age). "She exercised to avoid that middle-aged spread"

19. Verb. Move outward. "The soldiers fanned out"

20. Noun. Decorative cover for a bed.

21. Verb. Cover by spreading something over. "They spread the bread with melted butter"; "Spread the bread with cheese"

22. Noun. Act of extending over a wider scope or expanse of space or time.

23. Verb. Distribute over a surface in a layer. "Spread cheese on a piece of bread"

Definition of Spread

1. v. t. To extend in length and breadth, or in breadth only; to stretch or expand to a broad or broader surface or extent; to open; to unfurl; as, to spread a carpet; to spread a tent or a sail.

2. v. i. To extend in length and breadth in all directions, or in breadth only; to be extended or stretched; to expand.

3. n. Extent; compass.

4. n. An arbitrage transaction operated by buying and selling simultaneously in two separate markets, as Chicago and New York, when there is an abnormal difference in price between the two markets. It is called a back spreadwhen the difference in price is less than the normal one.

Definition of Spread

1. Verb. (transitive) To stretch out, open out (a material etc.) so that it more fully covers a given area of space. (defdate from 13th c.) ¹

2. Verb. (transitive) To extend (individual rays, limbs etc.); to stretch out in varying or opposing directions. (defdate from 13th c.) ¹

3. Verb. (transitive) To disperse, to scatter or distribute over a given area. (defdate from 13th c.) ¹

4. Verb. (intransitive) To proliferate; to become more widely present, to be disseminated. (defdate from 13th c.) ¹

5. Verb. (transitive) To disseminate; to cause to proliferate, to make (something) widely known or present. (defdate from 14th c.) ¹

6. Verb. (intransitive) To take up a larger area or space; to expand, be extended. (defdate from 14th c.) ¹

7. Verb. (transitive) To smear, to distribute in a thin layer. (defdate from 16th c.) ¹

8. Verb. (transitive) To cover (something) with a thin layer of some substance, as of butter. (defdate from 16th c.) ¹

9. Verb. (intransitive slang) To open one’s legs. (defdate from 20th c.) ¹

10. Noun. The act of spreading or something that has been spread. ¹

11. Noun. An expanse of land. ¹

12. Noun. A large tract of land used to raise livestock; a cattle ranch ¹

13. Noun. A piece of material used as a cover (such as a bedspread). ¹

14. Noun. A large meal, especially one laid out on a table. ¹

15. Noun. (context: bread, etc.) Any form of food designed to be spread such as butters or jams ¹

16. Noun. An item in a newspaper or magazine that occupies more than one column or page. ¹

17. Noun. A numerical difference. ¹

18. Noun. (business economics) The difference between the wholesale and retail prices. ¹

19. Noun. (trading economics finance) The difference between the price of a futures month and the price of another month of the same commodity. ¹

20. Noun. (trading finance) The purchase of a futures contract of one delivery month against the sale of another futures delivery month of the same commodity. ¹

21. Noun. (trading finance) The purchase of one delivery month of one commodity against the sale of that same delivery month of a different commodity. ¹

22. Noun. (trading) An arbitrage transaction of the same commodity in two markets, executed to take advantage of a profit from price discrepancies. ¹

23. Noun. (trading) The difference between bidding and asking price. ¹

24. Noun. (finance) The difference between the prices of two similar items. ¹

¹ Source: wiktionary.com

Definition of Spread

1. to open or expand over a larger area [v SPREAD, SPREADING, SPREADS]

Medical Definition of Spread

1. 1. To extend in length and breadth, or in breadth only; to stretch or expand to a broad or broader surface or extent; to open; to unfurl; as, to spread a carpet; to spread a tent or a sail. "He bought a parcel of a field where he had spread his tent." (Gen. Xxxiii. 19) "Here the Rhone Hath spread himself a couch." (Byron) 2. To extend so as to cover something; to extend to a great or grater extent in every direction; to cause to fill or cover a wide or wider space. "Rose, as in a dance, the stately trees, and spread Their branches hung with copious fruit." (Milton) 3. To divulge; to publish, as news or fame; to cause to be more extensively known; to disseminate; to make known fully; as, to spread a report; often acompanied by abroad. "They, when they were departed, spread abroad his fame in all that country." (Matt. Ix. 31) 4. To propagate; to cause to affect great numbers; as, to spread a disease. 5. To diffuse, as emanations or effluvia; to emit; as, odouriferous plants spread their fragrance. 6. To strew; to scatter over a surface; as, to spread manure; to spread lime on the ground. 7. To prepare; to set and furnish with provisions; as, to spread a table. "Boiled the flesh, and spread the board." (Tennyson) To sprad cloth, to unfurl sail. Synonym: To diffuse, propogate, disperse, publish, distribute, scatter, circulate, disseminate, dispense. Origin: OE. Spreden, AS. Spraedan; akin to D. Spreiden, spreijen, LG. Spreden, spreen, spreien, G. Spreiten, Dan. Sprede, Sw. Sprida. Cf. Spray water flying in drops. 1. To extend in length and breadth in all directions, or in breadth only; to be extended or stretched; to expand. "Plants, if they spread much, are seldom tall." (Bacon) "Govrnor Winthrop, and his associates at Charlestown, had for a church a large, spreading tree." (B. Trumbull) 2. To be extended by drawing or beating; as, some metals spread with difficulty. 3. To be made known more extensively, as news. 4. To be propagated from one to another; as, the disease spread into all parts of the city. 1. Extent; compass. "I have got a fine spread of improvable land." (Addison) 2. Expansion of parts. "No flower hath spread like that of the woodbine." (Bacon) 3. A cloth used as a cover for a table or a bed. 4. A table, as spread or furnished with a meal; hence, an entertainment of food; a feast. 5. A privilege which one person buys of another, of demanding certain shares of stock at a certain price, or of delivering the same shares of stock at another price, within a time agreed upon. 6. An unlimited expanse of discontinuous points. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998)

Lexicographical Neighbors of Spread

sprayier sprayiest spraying sprayings spraylike spraypaint spraypainted spraypainter spraypainters spraypainting

spraypaints sprayproof sprays sprayskirt sprayskirts spread (current term) spread-eagle spread-eagled spread-out(a) spread eagle

spread head spread like wildfire spread limit spread out spread over spread spectrum communication spread spectrum communications spreadabilities spreadability spreadable

Literary usage of Spread

Below you will find example usage of this term as found in modern and/or classical literature:

1. The Iliad of Homer by Homer, John Graham Cordery (1871)
"As, by force Of a strong wind, that to its wont impels The billows, out upon the broad-spread sea A climbing wave surmounts a galley's sides, ..."

2. The Encyclopedia Americana: A Library of Universal Knowledge (1918)
"The Caspian lowlands are the tract where the saline vegetation that is spread over the whole region of steppes and deserts has its greatest development. ..."

3. The Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan (1846)
"And the Now supper was ready, the table spread, and all things set on the board ; so they sat down and did supper. "' Interpreter did usually entertain ..."

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