spread

CEFRA2

/spɹɛd/

verb

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    verb

    To move or place something over a wider area.

  2. 02

    verb

    Extra detail

    To disperse, to scatter or distribute over a given area.

Examples

  • A small forest fire can easily spread and quickly become a great conflagration.

  • Fanned by a strong wind, the fire spread in an instant.

At a glance

Sits at A2 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
1
Citations
5
Synonyms
5

Also pronounced

  • /spɹiːd/
  • /spɹid/

Deep Dive

verb

Extra meanings

  1. To extend (individual rays, limbs etc.); to stretch out in varying or opposing directions. simple past and past participle of spread

  2. To stretch out, open out (a material etc.) so that it more fully covers a given area of space.

  3. To proliferate; to become more widely present, to be disseminated.

More examples

In context

  • The news had spread and was causing great excitement.

  • He spread his newspaper on the table.

  • I spread my arms wide and welcomed him home.

Synonyms

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

The exciting news of the victory quickly blank across the small town in just a few hours.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

verb

From Middle English spreden, from Old English sprǣdan (“to spread, expand”), from Proto-Germanic *spraidijaną (“to spread”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)per- (“to strew, sow, sprinkle”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian spreede (“to spread”), West Frisian spriede (“to spread”), North Frisian spriedjen (“to spread”), Dutch spreiden (“to spread”), Low German spreden (“to spread”), German spreiten (“to spread, spread out”), Danish sprede (“to spread”), Norwegian spre, spreie (“to spread, disseminate”), Swedish sprida (“to spread”), Latin spernō, spargō, Ancient Greek σπείρω (speírō), Persian سپردن (sepordan, “to deposit”), English spurn.