SPREADING

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 Dictionary entry overview: What does spreading mean? 

• SPREADING (noun)
  The noun SPREADING has 3 senses:

1. process or result of distributing or extending over a wide expanse of space

2. the opening of a subject to widespread discussion and debate

3. act of extending over a wider scope or expanse of space or time

  Familiarity information: SPREADING used as a noun is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• SPREADING (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Process or result of distributing or extending over a wide expanse of space

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural events

Synonyms:

spread; spreading

Hypernyms ("spreading" is a kind of...):

change of location; travel (a movement through space that changes the location of something)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "spreading"):

diffusion (the spread of social institutions (and myths and skills) from one society to another)

dispersion; scattering (spreading widely or driving off)

invasion ((pathology) the spread of pathogenic microorganisms or malignant cells to new sites in the body)

irradiation ((physiology) the spread of sensory neural impulses in the cortex)

radiation (the spread of a group of organisms into new habitats)

Derivation:

spread (spread across or over)

Sense 2

Meaning:

The opening of a subject to widespread discussion and debate

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Synonyms:

airing; dissemination; public exposure; spreading

Hypernyms ("spreading" is a kind of...):

transmission (communication by means of transmitted signals)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "spreading"):

circulation (the dissemination of copies of periodicals (as newspapers or magazines))

extension; propagation (the spreading of something (a belief or practice) into new regions)

Derivation:

spread (cause to become widely known)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Act of extending over a wider scope or expanse of space or time

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

spread; spreading

Hypernyms ("spreading" is a kind of...):

extension (act of expanding in scope; making more widely available)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "spreading"):

circulation (the spread or transmission of something (as news or money) to a wider group or area)

diffusion; dispersal; dispersion; dissemination (the act of dispersing or diffusing something)

scatter; scattering; strewing (the act of scattering)

decentralisation; decentralization (the spread of power away from the center to local branches or governments)

Derivation:

spread (distribute or disperse widely)

 Context examples 

Substances that prevent infectious agents or organisms from spreading or kill infectious agents in order to prevent the spread of infection.

(Anti-Infective Agent, NLM, Medical Subject Headings)

It may help keep the cancer cells from spreading to and growing in the bone.

(anti-CCR2 monoclonal antibody MLN1202, NCI Dictionary)

It binds to cancer cells in the brain and peripheral nervous system and may keep them from spreading.

(Chlorotoxin, NCI Dictionary)

Chondroitin Sulfate Proteoglycan 4 (CSPG4), encoded by the CSPG4 gene, plays a role in stabilizing cell-substratum interactions during early events of melanoma cell spreading on endothelial basement membranes.

(Chondroitin Sulfate Proteoglycan 4, NCI Thesaurus/LocusLink)

Activation of the MAPK kinase pathway has been identified as a mechanism that integrins use to regulate gene expression, leading to cell shape changes during cell spreading or migration.

(Extracellular Matrix Binding Pathway, NCI Thesaurus/BIOCARTA)

But conditions here prevent them from spreading globally.

(Martian Dust Storm Grows Global: Curiosity Captures Photos of Thickening Haze, NASA)

CWD has been gradually spreading in U.S. wildlife and is now found in 25 states as well as in Canada.

(Study finds no chronic wasting disease transmissibility in macaques, National Institutes of Health)

This prevents tumors from growing and spreading around the body.

(Molecule in Immune System Able to Trigger 'Suicide' of Cancerous Tumors, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)

It first arose in an individual dog, but survived beyond the death of the original dog by spreading to new dogs.

(The curious tale of the cancer ‘parasite’ that sailed the seas, University of Cambridge)

She had no fear of its spreading farther through his means.

(Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen)