spread

verb

OPAL S

/spred/

Verb Forms

present simple I / you / we / they spread	/spred/ /spred/
he / she / it spreads	/spredz/ /spredz/
past simple spread	/spred/ /spred/
past participle spread	/spred/ /spred/
-ing form spreading	/ˈspredɪŋ/ /ˈspredɪŋ/

Idioms Phrasal Verbs

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among people

[intransitive, transitive] to affect or make something affect, be known by, or be used by more and more people

The news had spread and was causing great excitement.
+ adv./prep. Use of computers spread rapidly during that period.
Within weeks, his confidence had spread throughout the team.
The disease spreads easily.
The idea spread quickly in the years that followed.
spread something Someone's been spreading rumours about you.
He's using his rap music to spread the message that violence is wrong.
The disease is spread by mosquitoes.
The virus is primarily spread from person to person through coughing and sneezing.
The depression started in the US and spread quickly throughout the world.

Wordfinder

bacteria
disease
epidemic
fever
illness
immunity
infection
spread
vaccinate
virus

Extra Examples

His fame had spread far and wide.
The disease can be spread by contact.
I wish he would stop spreading lies about me.
The effects of this policy spread far beyond children now at school.

Topics Illnessb1

Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb

fast
like wildfire
quickly
…

preposition

(all) across
among
around
…

phrases

be thinly spread
spread yourself too thin

See full entry

cover large area

[intransitive, transitive] to cover, or to make something cover, a larger and larger area

There is no evidence that the cancer has spread.
+ adv./prep. The fire rapidly spread to adjoining buildings.
Water began to spread across the floor.
A smile spread slowly across her face.
Allow plenty of space for this plant as its roots spread widely.
spread something A strong wind spread the flames.
Using too much water could spread the stain.

Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb

fast
like wildfire
quickly
…

preposition

(all) across
among
around
…

phrases

be thinly spread
spread yourself too thin

See full entry

[transitive] spread somebody/something to cause somebody/something to be in a number of different places

Seeds and pollen are spread by the wind.
We have 10 000 members spread all over the country.

Extra Examples

Expertise in this field is very thinly spread across the country.
Friends may be spread geographically. Neighbours, by definition, are nearby.

Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb

fast
like wildfire
quickly
…

preposition

(all) across
among
around
…

phrases

be thinly spread
spread yourself too thin

See full entry

[intransitive] spread (out) + adv./prep. to cover a large area

The valley spread out beneath us.

soft layer

[transitive, intransitive] to put a layer of a substance onto the surface of something; to be able to be put onto a surface

spread something They spread manure in both spring and autumn.
spread (A on/over B) to spread butter on pieces of toast
Birds spread the oil over their feathers to keep them warm and dry.
spread (B with A) pieces of toast spread with butter
If the paint is too thick, it will not spread evenly.

Extra Examples

He spread jam on the toast.
Spread each slice generously with butter.
If the paint is too thick, it will not spread easily.
She spread butter on a piece of toast.
Spread the cake with cream and then sprinkle flakes of chocolate on top.

Topics Cooking and eatingb2

Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb

thickly
lightly
thinly
…

preposition

on
with

See full entry

open/arrange

[transitive] to open something that has been folded so that it covers a larger area than before

spread something (out) The bird spread its wings.
a bird with its wings spread wide
spread something (out) on/over something They spread a cloth on the table.
Sue spread the map out on the floor.
We spread the rug out on the floor.
He spread the blanket over the straw and went to sleep.
spread something + adj. He had a newspaper spread open on his knee.

Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb

carefully
out

preposition

across
on
over
…

phrases

spread something open
spread your arms, legs, etc. out wide
spread your arms, legs, etc. wide
…

See full entry

[transitive] to arrange objects so that they cover a large area and can be seen easily

spread something out on/over something Papers had been spread out on the desk.
spread something out She spread out photographs of her grandchildren so I could see how they'd grown.
He was studying the various pages of notes spread over the quilt.
He shuffled the cards and spread them in a fan.

Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb

carefully
out

preposition

across
on
over
…

phrases

spread something open
spread your arms, legs, etc. out wide
spread your arms, legs, etc. wide
…

See full entry

[transitive] to place the thumb and a finger of one hand on the screen of an electronic device such as a mobile phone or small computer and move them apart to make the image on the screen larger, as though it is closer

Re-size the text by using the pinch and spread gestures on the screen.

arms/legs

[transitive] spread something (out) to move your arms, legs, fingers, etc. far apart from each other

She spread her arms and the child ran towards her.

Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb

carefully
out

preposition

across
on
over
…

phrases

spread something open
spread your arms, legs, etc. out wide
spread your arms, legs, etc. wide
…

See full entry

divide/share

[transitive] to separate something into parts and divide them between different times or different people

spread something Why not pay monthly and spread the cost of your car insurance?
spread something (out) (over something) A series of five interviews will be spread over two days.
The course takes forty hours, spread over twenty weeks.
spread something between somebody/something We attempted to spread the workload between the departments.
We tried to spread the workload evenly between the departments.

Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb

equally
evenly
uniformly
…

verb + spread

try to

preposition

among
between
over
…

See full entry

Word OriginOld English -sprǣdan (used in combinations), of West Germanic origin; related to Dutch spreiden and German spreiten.

Idioms

spread like wildfire

(of news, etc.) to become known by more and more people very quickly
- Rumours of his death spread like wildfire.
- The news spread like wildfire.

spread your net

to consider a wide range of possibilities or cover a large area, especially to try to find somebody/something
- They have spread their net far and wide in the search for a new team coach.

spread your wings

to become more independent and confident and try new activities, etc.
- Going to college gave her the chance to spread her wings.

spread the word

to tell people about something
- I'm always trying to spread the word about healthy eating.

spread yourself too thin

to try to do so many different things at the same time that you do not do any of them well
- With four markets to manage, there's a danger that's she's spreading herself too thin.

spread

noun

OPAL S

/spred/

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increase

[uncountable] an increase in the amount or number of something that there is, or in the area that is affected by something

measures to halt the spread of the disease
to prevent/stop the spread of something
One disadvantage is the company's lack of geographical spread.
The treaty has proved rather effective at limiting the spread of nuclear weapons.
The aim is to encourage the spread of information about the condition.
Shut doors to delay the spread of fire.
the spread of a city into the surrounding areas
Such unhygienic conditions encourage the spread of disease.

range/variety

[countable, usually singular] spread (of something/somebody) a range or variety of things or people

a broad spread of opinions
There was a good spread of scores on the test.

Extra Examples

Try to have a broad spread of investments, rather than concentrating on one industry.
The questionnaire revealed a wide spread of opinions on the issues.

Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective

good
great
wide
…

verb + spread

encourage
promote
halt
…

preposition

spread of

See full entry

on bread

[countable, uncountable] a soft food that you put on bread

Use a low-fat spread instead of butter.
They offered me some crackers with cheese spread.

area covered

[countable, usually singular] spread (of something) the area that something exists in or happens in

The company has a good geographical spread of hotels in this country.
The current survey will have a wider geographical spread.

[countable, usually singular] spread (of something) how wide something is or the area that something covers

The bird's wings have a spread of nearly a metre.

in newspaper/magazine

[countable] an article or advertisement in a newspaper or magazine, especially one that covers two opposite pages

The story continued with a double-page spread on the inside pages.
Her work featured in a two-page spread in ‘New Woman’ magazine.

meal

[countable] (informal) a large meal, especially one that is prepared for a special occasion

They had laid on a huge spread for the party.

of land/water

[countable, usually singular] spread (of something) (North American English) an area of land or water

a vast spread of water
They have a huge spread in California (= a large farm or ranch).

finance

[uncountable] the difference between two rates or prices

on bed

(North American English)

(also bedspread, bedcover ())

[countable] an attractive cover put on top of all the sheets and covers on a bed

Word OriginOld English -sprǣdan (used in combinations), of West Germanic origin; related to Dutch spreiden and German spreiten.