SPREAD OUT

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does spread out mean? 

• SPREAD OUT (verb)
  The verb SPREAD OUT has 7 senses:

1. move outward

2. set out or stretch in a line, succession, or series

3. strew or distribute over an area

4. extend in one or more directions

5. turn outward

6. move away from each other

7. spread out or open from a closed or folded state

  Familiarity information: SPREAD OUT used as a verb is common.

 Dictionary entry details 

• SPREAD OUT (verb)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Move outward

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

Synonyms:

diffuse; fan out; spread; spread out

Context example:

The soldiers fanned out

Hypernyms (to "spread out" is one way to...):

distribute; spread (distribute or disperse widely)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "spread out"):

percolate (spread gradually)

mantle (spread over a surface, like a mantle)

bleed; run (be diffused)

creep (grow or spread, often in such a way as to cover (a surface))

Sentence frames:

Something ----s
Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something

Sense 2

Meaning:

Set out or stretch in a line, succession, or series

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Synonyms:

spread out; string out

Context example:

the houses were strung out in a long row

Hypernyms (to "spread out" is one way to...):

arrange; set up (put into a proper or systematic order)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s something PP

Sense 3

Meaning:

Strew or distribute over an area

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

Synonyms:

scatter; spread; spread out

Context example:

scatter cards across the table

Hypernyms (to "spread out" is one way to...):

circulate; distribute; pass around; pass on (cause to be distributed)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "spread out"):

manure; muck (spread manure, as for fertilization)

birdlime; lime (spread birdlime on branches to catch birds)

circumfuse (spread something around something)

distribute (spread throughout a given area)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s something PP

Sense 4

Meaning:

Extend in one or more directions

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

Synonyms:

expand; spread out

Context example:

The dough expands

Hypernyms (to "spread out" is one way to...):

grow (become larger, greater, or bigger; expand or gain)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "spread out"):

dispread (spread abroad or out)

bush out (grow outward)

Sentence frames:

Something ----s
Something is ----ing PP

Sense 5

Meaning:

Turn outward

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

Synonyms:

rotate; splay; spread out; turn out

Context example:

ballet dancers can rotate their legs out by 90 degrees

Hypernyms (to "spread out" is one way to...):

turn (change orientation or direction, also in the abstract sense)

Sentence frames:

Something ----s
Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something

Sense 6

Meaning:

Move away from each other

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

Synonyms:

disperse; dissipate; scatter; spread out

Context example:

The children scattered in all directions when the teacher approached

Hypernyms (to "spread out" is one way to...):

part; separate; split (go one's own way; move apart)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "spread out"):

aerosolise; aerosolize (become dispersed as an aerosol)

break (scatter or part)

volley (be dispersed in a volley)

Sentence frames:

Something ----s
Somebody ----s

Sense 7

Meaning:

Spread out or open from a closed or folded state

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Synonyms:

open; spread; spread out; unfold

Context example:

spread your arms

Hypernyms (to "spread out" is one way to...):

undo (cancel, annul, or reverse an action or its effect)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "spread out"):

exfoliate (spread by opening the leaves of)

grass (spread out clothes on the grass to let it dry and bleach)

butterfly (cut and spread open, as in preparation for cooking)

uncross (change from a crossed to an uncrossed position)

splay (spread open or apart)

divaricate (spread apart)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s something PP

 Context examples 

Joe was underneath, with arms spread out and held and with Martin's knee on his chest.

(Martin Eden, by Jack London)

Most of the waves are seen in elongated wave trains, spread out in an east-west direction, with wave crests that are perpendicular to the orientation of the train.

(NASA's Juno Mission Detects Jupiter Wave Trains, NASA)

The payment(s) would come in chunks, either once or in the case of commissions, for example, spread out with money coming at different amounts, at various times.

(AstrologyZone.com, by Susan Miller)

The model suggests that as the ring formed, and the debris slowly moved away from the Red Planet and spread out, it began to clump and eventually formed a moon.

(Does Mars Have Rings? Not Right Now, But Maybe One Day, NASA)

His greatcoat, instead of being brought for him to put on directly, was spread out in the curricle in which he was to accompany his son.

(Northanger Abbey, by Jane Austen)

The study covers more than 8000 hours of shark observations in South Africa's False Bay spread out over the past 18 years.

(Study indicates as great white shark disappears, living fossil moves in, Wikinews)

He had not retired to rest, and his ill-gotten gains were spread out upon the dressing-table.

(Rodney Stone, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

He had spread out his big map of London and leaned eagerly over it.

(His Last Bow, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

The pigments are spread out to show their colour, or squeezed together to make the cell clear.

(Colour-changing artificial ‘chameleon skin’ powered by nanomachines, University of Cambridge)

Now he sat forward in this armchair and spread out the documents upon his knees.

(The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)