Spread Synonyms | Uses & Examples
Spread is a verb and noun with various meanings, usually related to the extension of something.
Some synonyms for spread are:
- Extend
- Expand
- Unfold
- Disseminate
- Circulate
- Propagate
- Apply
- Smear
- Expansion
- Expanse
- Dissemination
- Range
- Span
- Spectrum
- Banquet
- Feast
Spread meaning
Before choosing a synonym for spread, you should know which meaning you want to convey. Spread has many meanings, but the main ones are listed below.
| Part of speech | Meaning | Example sentence |
|---|---|---|
| Verb | To expand or unfold | The eagle spread its wings. |
| Verb | To extend or disseminate over a large area | The news spread quickly. |
| Verb | To apply in an even layer | She spread jam on her toast. |
| Noun | Expansion or expanse | Masks help reduce the spread of viruses. |
| Noun | A range or extent | The spread of grades was between 62 and 100. |
| Noun | An elaborate meal | This is definitely quite a spread! Everything looks delicious. |
Spread synonyms
When spread means “to expand or unfold,” some synonyms are stronger matches than others. For example, “extend” can be used in a variety of contexts. On the other hand, weaker synonyms denote more specific actions, like “fan out,” which means to spread outward from a central point.
| Match | Synonym | Spread example | Synonym example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Strongest | Extend | The vulture spread its large, dark wings. | The vulture extended its large, dark wings. |
| Expand | The map spread across the table. | The map expanded across the table. | |
| Unfold | Lara spread the napkin on her lap. | Lara unfolded the napkin on her lap. | |
| Strong | Unfurl | The archaeologist spread the scroll on the desk. | The archaeologist unfurled the scroll on the desk. |
| Lay out | Graham spread his towel on the sand. | Graham laid out his towel on the sand. | |
| Weak | Open out | Lili spread her arms wide to stretch. | Lili opened out her arms wide to stretch. |
| Fan out | Marta spread the brochures across the table. | Marta fanned out the brochures across the table. | |
| Roll out | He spread the yoga mat on the floor. | He rolled out the yoga mat on the floor. |
The same goes for synonyms for spread meaning “to extend or disseminate over a large area.” The strongest synonyms are overall good replacements, while weaker synonyms may not be precise in most contexts. For example, “promulgate” means “to make known publicly” and usually refers to an idea or cause.
| Match | Synonym | Spread example | Synonym example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Strongest | Extend | The capital spreads from the mountains to the sea. | The capital extends from the mountains to the sea. |
| Disseminate | The organization spread the message nationwide. | The organization disseminated the message nationwide. | |
| Circulate | The rumor spread quickly. | The rumor circulated quickly. | |
| Propagate | The virus spread throughout the city. | The virus propagated throughout the city. | |
| Strong | Transmit | Books help spread knowledge. | Books help transmit knowledge. |
| Scatter | Wind spreads seeds across the fields, helping plants to grow. | Wind scatters seeds across the fields, helping plants to grow. | |
| Diffuse | The gas spread throughout the room. | The gas diffused throughout the room. | |
| Weak | Promulgate | The government spread new policies to the public. | The government promulgated new policies to the public. |
When spread means “to apply in an even layer,” the strongest synonyms mean the same, while weaker synonyms require light sentence rewrites or refer to a greater volume of the product being applied. “Slather,” for example, means “to spread thickly.”
| Match | Synonym | Spread example | Synonym example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Strongest | Apply | The dentist said to spread the toothpaste over all my teeth before brushing. | The dentist said to apply the toothpaste over all my teeth before brushing. |
| Smear | Spread the chili paste all over the chicken. | Smear the chili paste all over the chicken. | |
| Strong | Layer | When making tiramisu, you have to spread mascarpone over ladyfingers. | When making tiramisu, you have to layer mascarpone over ladyfingers. |
| Weak | Coat | Matt spread peanut butter on his toast. | Matt coated his toast with peanut butter. |
| Slather | Nina spread sunscreen on her arms. | Nina slathered sunscreen on her arms. |
For spread meaning “expansion or expanse,” synonyms refer to either a physical expanse of land, or the expansion of something as it moves from one place to another. For the first meaning, use “expanse” or “stretch.” For the other meaning, use the rest of the synonyms.
The weak synonym, “development,” refers to how something changes or grows over time, not place.
| Match | Synonym | Spread example | Synonym example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Strongest | Expansion | The rapid spread of the city changed the skyline. | The rapid expansion of the city changed the skyline. |
| Expanse | Maya’s farm is located on a large spread of land. | Maya’s farm is located on a large expanse of land. | |
| Dissemination | The spread of misinformation led to panic. | The dissemination of misinformation led to panic. | |
| Strong | Proliferation | The spread of digital tools has transformed education. | The proliferation of digital tools has transformed education. |
| Transmission | Colder temperatures may help reduce the spread of the virus. | Colder temperatures may help reduce the transmission of the virus. | |
| Growth | The international spread of the movement helped it gain a ton of momentum. | The international growth of the movement helped it gain a ton of momentum. | |
| Stretch | The Northern province is just a large spread of tundra. Nevertheless, some people live there. | The Northern province is just a large stretch of tundra. Nevertheless, some people live there. | |
| Weak | Development | The spread of suburbs completely changed the area. | The development of suburbs completely changed the area. |
- Bedspread
- Quilt
- Cover
- Coverlet
- Comforter
- Duvet
- Throw
When spread means “a range or extent,” weaker synonyms imply a wider range, while stronger synonyms do not.
| Match | Synonym | Spread example | Synonym example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Strongest | Range | The age spread in the group was from 18 to 65. | The age range in the group was from 18 to 65. |
| Span | The price spread between models was significant. | The price span between models was significant. | |
| Spectrum | The political spread in the survey covered all views. | The political spectrum in the survey covered all views. | |
| Strong | Gamut | That book made me feel a whole spread of human emotions. | That book made me feel a whole gamut of human emotions. |
| Breadth | Our menu offers a wide spread of options, including vegetarian and gluten-free dishes. | Our menu offers a wide breadth of options, including vegetarian and gluten-free dishes. |
When spread means “an elaborate meal,” “banquet” and “feast” are good general synonyms. “Buffet” carries the connotation that guests serve themselves, which is not necessarily true of a spread. “Array” can mean a variety of things, not just food.
| Match | Synonym | Spread example | Synonym example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Strongest | Banquet | Sam and Alex had a lavish spread at their wedding. | Sam and Alex had a lavish banquet at their wedding. |
| Feast | In England, a typical holiday spread includes roasted meats and pies. | In England, a typical holiday feast includes roasted meats and pies. | |
| Strong | Buffet | That hotel has an amazing breakfast spread. | That hotel has an amazing breakfast buffet. |
| Array | The table was full of a delicious spread of exotic foods. | The table was full of a delicious array of exotic foods. |
Spreading synonyms
Spreading is the present participle and gerund form of the verb spread. To form synonyms for spreading, you can use the same verbs that appear as synonyms for spread and add an “-ing” to them.
| Meaning of spread | Spreading synonym | Spreading example | Synonym example |
|---|---|---|---|
| To expand or unfold; to extend or disseminate | Extending | The manufacturing strike started on the main site before spreading to other locations. | The manufacturing strike started on the main site before extending to other locations. |
| To expand or unfold | Expanding | Spreading flames consumed the forest. | Expanding flames consumed the forest. |
| To expand or unfold | Unfolding | He’s spreading the map so we can check our route. | He’s unfolding the map so we can check our route. |
| To extend or disseminate | Disseminating | Spreading fake news is dangerous. | Disseminating fake news is dangerous. |
| To extend or disseminate | Circulating | I avoid spreading rumors because they can hurt other people. | I avoid circulating rumors because they can hurt other people. |
| To extend or disseminate | Propagating | The bacteria are spreading at never-before-seen rates. | The bacteria are propagating at never-before-seen rates. |
| To apply in an even layer | Applying | Spreading paint evenly with a roller takes practice. | Applying paint evenly with a roller takes practice. |
| To apply in an even layer | Smearing | Spreading cold butter on bread is difficult; it’s better to warm it up first. | Smearing cold butter on bread is difficult; it’s better to warm it up first. |
This table only lists the strongest synonyms for the various meanings of spread. For more synonyms for spreading, refer to the above tables or use QuillBot’s free Paraphraser.
Frequently asked questions about spread synonyms
- What does spread mean in betting?
-
“Spread” in betting refers to a point spread, a type of wager designed to even the playing field between two unevenly matched teams. It’s mostly used in sports betting.
A point spread is a predetermined margin that the favorite team must win by or the underdog must lose within in order for bets to be successful.
For example, Team A has a -7.5 spread, while Team B has a +7.5 spread. This shows that Team A is the favorite and must win by 7.5 points or more, while Team B is the underdog and can either win or lose by fewer than 7.5 points.
There are many meanings and synonyms for spread. In this context, think of a spread as a “range” or “span.”
- What’s a synonym for spread out?
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Synonyms for “spread out” include:
- Extend
- Stretch out
- Unfold
- Expand
- Fan out
- Lay out
- Disperse
- Scatter
- Open out
These overlap with synonyms for spread. To find more synonyms for “spread out,” use QuillBot’s free Paraphraser.
- What’s a synonym for spread the word?
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Synonyms for “spread the word” include:
- Inform
- Notify
- Announce
- Disseminate
- Broadcast
- Circulate
- Share
- Promote
- Publicize
- Let know
Some of these overlap with synonyms for spread. To find more synonyms for “spread the word,” use QuillBot’s free Paraphraser.
- What’s the meaning of spread thin?
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You say that you’ve spread yourself too thin when you’re trying to do too many things at the same time and therefore can’t do any of them as well as you would like.
When using the phrase “spread yourself too thin” in different tenses, bear in mind that the past tense of spread is also “spread,” not “spreaded” (i.e., the simple past tense and past participle forms of “spread” are both “spread”).
Spread thin in a sentence examples I used to say “yes” to everything and spread myself too thin.Won’t you be spreading yourself a bit too thin if you join the debating society too?
Have you tried QuillBot’s free Paraphraser? You can use it to find alternative ways of expressing “spread yourself too thin” in your specific context.
- What’s a synonym for widespread?
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Some synonyms for “widespread” are:
- Extensive
- Prevalent
- Pervasive
- Broad
- Universal
- Common
- Far-reaching
You may also be able to use some synonyms for spread to form synonyms of “widespread.” Or, use QuillBot’s Paraphraser to find them with just a click.
