spread 1 S2 W2 / spred / 动词 ( past tense and past participle spread )
1 affect more people/places [不及物和及物动词] if something spreads or is spread, it becomes larger or moves so that it affects more people or a larger area
spread through
Fire quickly spread through the building.
spread over
He watched the dark stain spread over the gray carpet.
spread among
The disease spread rapidly amongst the poor.
spread (from something) to something
The cancer had spread to her liver.
Revolution quickly spread from France to Italy.
2 information/ideas
a) [不及物动词] to become known about or used by more and more people :
News of the explosion spread swiftly.
spread to/through/over etc
Buddhism spread to China from India.
The news spread like wildfire (= very quickly ) .
Word spread quickly that she was leaving.
b) [及物动词] to tell a lot of people about something :
Andy loves spreading rumours about his colleagues.
They are spreading the word about the benefits of immunization.
3 open/arrange ( also spread out ) [及物动词] to open something out or arrange a group of things so that they cover a flat surface
spread something over/across/on something
Papers and photos were spread across the floor.
He spread the map out on the desk.
a table spread with a white cloth
4 throughout an area [不及物动词] ( also be spread , spread out ) to cover or exist across a large area
spread over
the forest that spread over the whole of that region
spread throughout
The company has more than 2,500 shops spread throughout the UK.
5 soft substance [不及物和及物动词] to put a soft substance over a surface, or to be soft enough to be put over a surface
spread something on/over something
He spread plaster on the walls.
spread something with something
Spread the toast thinly with jam.
If you warm up the butter, it’ll spread more easily.
Spread the nut mixture evenly over the bottom.
6 arms/fingers etc [及物动词] if you spread your arms, fingers, or legs, you move them far apart :
He shrugged and spread his hands.
7 over time [及物动词] ( also spread out ) to do something over a period of time, rather than at one time
spread something over something
Could I spread the repayments over a longer period?
There will be 12 concerts spread throughout the summer.
8 share [及物动词] to share or divide something among several people or things
spread the load/burden
The bills are sent out on different dates to spread the workload on council staff.
They want the country’s wealth to be more evenly spread .
9 smile/look [ intransitive always + 副词 / 介词 ] if an expression spreads over someone’s face, it slowly appears on their face
spread over/across
A slow smile spread over her face.
10 spread your wings
a) to start to have an independent life and experience new things :
A year spent studying abroad should allow him to spread his wings a bit.
b) if a bird or insect spreads its wings, it stretches them wide
11
a) be spread (too) thin/thinly if money, effort etc is spread thin, it is being used for many things so there is not enough for each thing :
They complained that resources were spread too thinly.
b) spread yourself too thin to try to do too many things at the same time so that you do not do any of them effectively
12 spread seeds/manure/fertilizer to scatter seeds, manure etc on the ground
→ spread your net wide at net 1 ( 8 )
COLLOCATIONS
名词
a disease spreads/is spread (= among a group of people ) The disease is spread by mosquitoes.
a cancer/infection spreads (= in someone’s body ) The cancer had spread to his brain.
news/word spreads As news of his death spread, his army disintegrated.
spread the news/the word He has been spreading the word about ways to beat heart disease.
spread a story ( also spread a rumour British English , spread a rumor American English ) When Brown’s hotel burned down, Clark spread the rumor that Forsyth was to blame.
a story spreads ( also a rumour spreads British English , a rumor spreads American English ) It was the sort of story that would spread like wildfire.
spread lies/gossip How dare you spread such vicious lies! | Has someone been spreading malicious gossip?
spread terror/panic The murders were clearly intended to spread terror.
fire spreads ( also flames spread ) The fire had spread to a nearby shed.
violence/fighting spreads There is no indication that the violence is likely to spread.
sb’s fame/reputation spreads Their musical fame has spread far beyond their native country.
副词
spread rapidly/quickly The fire spread rapidly, consuming many of the houses.
短语
spread like wildfire (= spread extremely quickly ) The news spread like wildfire through the town.
spread out 短语动词
1 if a group of people spread out, they move apart from each other so that they cover a wider area :
The search party spread out to search the surrounding fields.
2 spread something ↔ out to open something out or arrange a group of things on a flat surface :
Sue spread out her notes on the kitchen table and began to write.
3 ( also be spread out ) to cover a large area :
The city spread out below her looked so calm.
4 spread something ↔ out to do something over a period of time, rather than at one time
spread something ↔ out over
The course is spread out over four days.