Spread means to extend or distribute something over a larger area or among more people. When you spread peanut butter on bread, you use a knife to cover the surface evenly. When you spread your arms wide, you stretch them out to both sides. When a rumor spreads through school, it moves from one person to another until many people have heard it.

The word captures the idea of expansion and coverage. Seeds spread across a field when the wind carries them. A smile can spread across someone's face, starting small and growing wider. Ideas spread when people share them with others who then share them further. Sometimes things spread gradually, like a stain slowly spreading through fabric, and sometimes they spread rapidly, like wildfire through dry grass.

As a noun, spread can mean the distance between two points (“the spread of an eagle's wings”) or a soft food meant for spreading (“cream cheese spread”). In sports, the spread is the predicted difference in score between two teams. You might also enjoy a magnificent spread of food at a celebration, with dishes covering the entire table.

The word often suggests something moving outward from a central point, like ripples spreading across a pond after you toss in a stone.