INDEX:
1. fire/liquid/gas
2. information/feelings/ideas/problems etc
3. when a disease spreads
4. to spread things over a wide area
5. when people or things are spread over a wide area
6. when people go in many directions
7. to spread butter, glue etc on a surface
8. to open something out and arrange it on a surface
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1. fire/liquid/gas
▷ spread /spred/ [intransitive verb]
if fire, liquid, smoke etc spreads, it moves outwards in all directions to cover a larger area :
▪ The forest fires in the Northwest are spreading out of control.
spread through/across/to etc
▪ By then, the flood water had spread across 80 square miles of farmland.
▪ She knocked over her glass, and a dark pool of wine spread over the tablecloth.
▪ The fire quickly spread to several nearby factories.
▷ permeate /ˈpɜːʳmieɪt/ [transitive verb]
if a gas, liquid, smoke etc permeates a space or substance, it gradually spreads through the whole of it :
▪ Soon the gas had permeated the entire area.
▪ The stench of smoke permeated the air.
▷ run /rʌn/ [intransitive verb]
if a colour runs, it spreads beyond where it should be and begins to colour other things, especially because it has got wet :
▪ I’m afraid the colors ran when I washed your shirt.
▪ She had started crying and her make-up was running down her face.
2. information/feelings/ideas/problems etc
▷ spread /spred/ [intransitive/transitive verb]
if information, an idea, or a feeling spreads, or if you spread it, more and more people begin to know about it or be affected by it :
▪ After she died at a San Jose hospital, word spread fast.
▪ News of the disaster was spreading quickly.
▪ Rumors about Amy spread through the school.
▪ The lawsuit charged the magazine with spreading lies about the company and its products.
spread to/into/through etc
▪ Panic spread through downtown Port-au-Prince.
spread [uncountable noun]
▷ get around/go around also get round British /ˌget əˈraʊnd, ˌgəʊ əˈraʊnd, ˌget ˈraʊnd/ [intransitive phrasal verb]
if news or information gets around or goes around, people tell other people, so that soon a lot of people know about it :
▪ News soon got around that Nick was back in Barnstable.
▪ It’s a small place, so news and gossip gets around pretty quickly.
▪ It didn’t take long for word to get around that Moore was leaving the company.
▷ circulate /ˈsɜːʳkjɑleɪt/ [intransitive verb]
if news, information, stories etc circulate, they spread through a large group of people, especially because each person tells it to someone else :
▪ The organization’s intranet system allows information to circulate rapidly.
▪ Rumors began circulating that she was seriously ill.
circulate among
▪ The letter was circulated among news organizations nationwide.
▷ disseminate /dɪˈsemɪneɪt, dɪˈseməneɪt/ [transitive verb] formal
to spread information, ideas etc as widely as possible, especially in order to influence the way people think or behave :
▪ Racist messages are being widely disseminated via the Internet.
▪ The Health Education Council is the central agency for disseminating information about disease prevention.
dissemination /dɪˌsemɪˈneɪʃ ə n, dɪˌseməˈneɪʃ ə n/ [uncountable noun]
▪ It is very dangerous for a government to have complete control over the dissemination of information within a country.
▷ spill over /ˌspɪl ˈəʊvəʳ/ [intransitive phrasal verb]
if a problem or bad situation spills over, it spreads beyond the place or situation in which it starts, and begins to affect other places, people, or areas of activity :
spill over to/into/from etc
▪ It is easy to allow personal emotions to spill over into your work.
▪ Government chiefs are worried that the refugee problem might spill over from neighboring countries.
3. when a disease spreads
▷ spread /spred/ [intransitive/transitive verb]
if a disease spreads or is spread, it is passed from one person to another, and it affects more and more people :
▪ Malaria, spread by mosquitoes, is one of the biggest public health problems in Africa.
▪ AIDS is not spread by common everyday contact.
spread through/to/across/from
▪ Cholera is spreading through the refugee camps at an alarming rate.
▪ Meyer and his team were the first to show how the disease spreads from animals to humans.
spread [uncountable noun]
spread of
▪ The only way to prevent the spread of tuberculosis is to cure those infected by the disease.
▷ go around also go round British /ˌgəʊ əˈraʊnd, ˌgəʊ ˈraʊnd/ [intransitive/transitive phrasal verb]
if an illness goes around, it spreads from one person to another, especially in a school, office etc :
▪ There’s some type of throat infection going around at the moment.
▪ If one child gets flu, it seems to go round the entire school within a week.
▷ infectious /ɪnˈfekʃəs/ [adjective]
an infectious disease is spread by being passed from one person to another :
▪ Heavy drinkers are generally more susceptible to infectious diseases.
▪ Doctors say that the disease is most infectious in the first twenty-four hours.
highly infectious
very infectious
▪ The vaccine protects against Hepatitis B, a highly infectious virus.
▷ catch /kætʃ/ [transitive verb]
to get an illness from another person - use this especially about illnesses that are not very serious :
▪ Kristen has the flu, so I guess we’ll all catch it.
▪ Dion caught a cold on vacation.
▷ catching /ˈkætʃɪŋ/ [adjective not before noun] informal
an illness or condition that is catching, especially one that is not very serious, can spread from one person to another :
▪ I hope Shelly’s cold isn’t catching.
▪ I’m keeping Timmy home from school. He has measles and you know how catching it is.
▷ contagious /kənˈteɪdʒəs/ [adjective]
an illness that is contagious can spread easily from one person to another, especially by touch :
▪ Most eye infections are contagious.
highly contagious
very contagious
▪ Chicken pox is highly contagious.
4. to spread things over a wide area
▷ spread /spred/ [transitive verb]
▪ The wind spreads the seeds so that the plants can reproduce.
spread something over/across/through etc
▪ A single tractor was slowly spreading fertilizer over a huge wheatfield.
▷ scatter /ˈskætəʳ/ [transitive verb]
to spread things over a wide area in an irregular and unplanned way :
▪ The storm scattered tiles everywhere.
scatter something over/around/across etc
▪ Why don’t you scatter a few cushions around the room?
5. when people or things are spread over a wide area
▷ scattered /ˈskætəʳd/ [adjective not before noun]
things that are scattered are spread over a large area in an irregular or untidy way :
scattered about/over/among etc
▪ There were books scattered all about their cottage.
▪ Pieces of twisted metal and rusted pipe lay scattered around the yard.
▷ spread out /ˌspred ˈaʊt/ [adjective phrase not before noun]
things that are spread out are spread over a large area with a lot of space between them :
spread out on/among/across
▪ Diane had her newspaper spread out all over the floor.
▪ Several small cabins were spread out across the property.
▷ sprawling /ˈsprɔːlɪŋ/ [adjective only before noun]
spread across a wide area - use this about towns, buildings, or groups of buildings that you think take up too much space and are ugly or unpleasant :
▪ The sprawling conference and resort center even has its own transportation system.
▪ a sprawling city of 2.6 million
▷ dotted /ˈdɒtɪd, ˈdɒtədǁˈdɑːt-/ [adjective not before noun]
if a number of things of the same type are dotted around an area, they are spread over it irregularly and unevenly :
dotted around/along/here and there etc
▪ All we saw were a few workmen’s cottages dotted here and there along the road.
▪ Picnic tables were dotted among the trees.
dotted with
▪ Their street was dotted with burned-out and boarded-up buildings.
▷ strewn /struːn/ [adjective not before noun]
spread unevenly in a way that looks very untidy :
strewn over/around etc
▪ Clothes were strewn all over the bedroom floor.
strewn with
▪ Glover’s yard was strewn with garbage and builders’ debris.
6. when people go in many directions
▷ spread /spred/ [intransitive verb]
spread northwards/eastwards etc
▪ Refugees have entered the south of the country and are spreading northwards.
▷ scatter /ˈskætəʳ/ [intransitive verb]
if a group of people scatters, everyone suddenly moves in different directions, especially in order to escape from danger :
▪ When a police van drove by, the boys scattered.
▪ At the sound of gunfire, the crowd scattered in all directions.
▷ spread out /ˌspred ˈaʊt/ [intransitive/transitive phrasal verb]
if a group of people spreads out, each person moves into a position where they are as far from the others as possible :
▪ ‘Spread out!’ the sergeant shouted. ‘I want the whole area searched.’
▪ I’m sure you’d be more comfortable if you spread yourselves out a little.
spread out across/through etc
▪ Members of the tribe are spread out over hundreds of square miles.
▷ fan out /ˌfæn ˈaʊt/ [intransitive phrasal verb]
if a group of people who are searching for someone or something fans out, they spread themselves across an area in order to make sure that they search the whole area :
▪ The men were told to fan out and begin the search.
▪ Scores of FBI agents fanned out on Monday to interview potential witnesses.
▷ split up /ˌsplɪt ˈʌp/ [intransitive phrasal verb]
if a group of people split up, they decide not to stay together as a group because they will be able to move faster, find something more easily etc if they are alone or in smaller groups :
▪ The U.N. team split up to inspect several sites in the south of the country.
split up into groups/teams/twos etc
▪ We’d have a much better chance of finding the child if we split up into groups.
7. to spread butter, glue etc on a surface
▷ spread /spred/ [transitive verb]
to put a thin layer of a soft substance, such as butter or glue, on a surface, so that it covers it :
spread something on/over something
▪ Make sure that you spread the glue on both surfaces.
▪ He spread plaster on the walls.
▪ Spread the frosting over the warm pastries.
spread something with something
▪ She spread the toast with butter and jam.
▷ smear /smɪəʳ/ [transitive verb]
to spread a liquid or soft substance over a surface, especially carelessly or when you do not have to keep it within an exact area :
smear something on/smear on something
▪ ‘What time did we say we’d meet them?’ she asked, smearing on a bright red lipstick.
smear something with
▪ Before setting out on their walk, they smeared themselves with sunblock.
8. to open something out and arrange it on a surface
▷ spread/spread out /spred, ˌspred ˈaʊt/ [transitive verb/transitive phrasal verb]
to open something such as a sheet, a map, or a newspaper, and arrange it so that it lies flat on a table, the floor, or another surface :
spread out something
▪ Jim spread out a blanket for her to sit on.
spread something out/over/on etc
▪ Spread the map out and let’s have a look.
▪ I spread the towels over the radiator to dry.
▷ lay out /ˌleɪ ˈaʊt/ [transitive phrasal verb]
to spread something on a table, floor etc, especially so that it can be more easily seen or used later :
lay something out
▪ They spent over an hour laying the food out for the party.
lay out something
▪ I laid all four bathing suits out on the counter and tried to picture myself in one of them.