as in infectious
exciting a similar feeling or reaction in others
spreading enthusiasm that got our club rolling again
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
1
as in disseminating
to cause to be known over a considerable area or by many people
spread the news!
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in applying
to put a layer of on a surface
we spread the fertilizer over the lawn evenly until it was fully covered
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in circulating
to become known
once news of the war's end had spread, spontaneous celebrations broke out everywhere
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in transmitting
to cause (something) to pass from one to another
living conditions that help to spread chicken pox
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in separating
to go or move in different directions from a central point
the walls of the old barn spread under the weight of the snow on the roof
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
6
as in increasing
to become greater in size, extent, volume, amount, or number
dissatisfaction with the new administration is spreading rapidly
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of spreading
Catherine Thorbecke, Twin Cities, 25 Apr. 2026
Reznik said while the San Gabriel River system and adjacent spreading grounds, stretching from Irwindale to Long Beach, work exceptionally well, capturing 90% of the local runoff that percolates into underground basins for later use, that’s not true of some other waterways in the county.
—Steve Scauzillo, Daily News, 24 Apr. 2026
Additionally, the community where measles is spreading has been the home of a sect of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, a group that had a charismatic leader named Warren Jeffs who sowed distrust in vaccines.
—Brenda Goodman, CNN Money, 24 Apr. 2026
That means Hawkins Lab may get up to some minor shenanigans, and the Upside Down may harbor peculiar creatures — one of which props up the first season’s central mystery about a hostile spore-spreading species — but none of them can be any more nefarious or terrifying than what popped up before.
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 23 Apr. 2026
Four months later, their first Motown single was released and word of the Jackson 5 was spreading through more than just neighborhoods.
—Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 23 Apr. 2026
The idea, brought forward by the Walnut Creek Downtown Association, has been spreading across the Bay Area.
—Sierra Lopez, Mercury News, 23 Apr. 2026
The nonprofit initially served lower-income people and veterans and first-time homebuyers in San Bernardino and Riverside counties before spreading to Orange and San Diego counties.
—Andre Mouchard, Sacbee.com, 22 Apr. 2026
Scientists have also found more rotavirus by monitoring community sewage to track how germs are spreading.
—Annette Regan, The Conversation, 22 Apr. 2026
Verb
Experimentation is spreading across Asia.
—Catherine Thorbecke, Twin Cities, 25 Apr. 2026
Reznik said while the San Gabriel River system and adjacent spreading grounds, stretching from Irwindale to Long Beach, work exceptionally well, capturing 90% of the local runoff that percolates into underground basins for later use, that’s not true of some other waterways in the county.
—Steve Scauzillo, Daily News, 24 Apr. 2026
Additionally, the community where measles is spreading has been the home of a sect of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, a group that had a charismatic leader named Warren Jeffs who sowed distrust in vaccines.
—Brenda Goodman, CNN Money, 24 Apr. 2026
That means Hawkins Lab may get up to some minor shenanigans, and the Upside Down may harbor peculiar creatures — one of which props up the first season’s central mystery about a hostile spore-spreading species — but none of them can be any more nefarious or terrifying than what popped up before.
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 23 Apr. 2026
Four months later, their first Motown single was released and word of the Jackson 5 was spreading through more than just neighborhoods.
—Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 23 Apr. 2026
The idea, brought forward by the Walnut Creek Downtown Association, has been spreading across the Bay Area.
—Sierra Lopez, Mercury News, 23 Apr. 2026
The nonprofit initially served lower-income people and veterans and first-time homebuyers in San Bernardino and Riverside counties before spreading to Orange and San Diego counties.
—Andre Mouchard, Sacbee.com, 22 Apr. 2026
Scientists have also found more rotavirus by monitoring community sewage to track how germs are spreading.
—Annette Regan, The Conversation, 22 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spreading
Adjective
-
Hernandez said that Stribling has an infectious smile and personality that draws people to him.—
Graham Womack,
Sacbee.com,
25 Apr. 2026
-
If some of the stuff in his lungs was infectious, maybe he could be treated and get home.—
Elisabeth Rosenthal,
Miami Herald,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The mix seemed appropriate to higher education, which, after all, dedicates itself both to the very traditional act of conserving knowledge and to producing and disseminating fresh discoveries.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
22 Apr. 2026
-
The leadership also froze the agency’s other election security work, which included assessing local election offices for physical and cybersecurity risks, and disseminating sensitive intelligence information on threats.—
Doug Bock Clark,
ProPublica,
13 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The review process is expected to take 18 months and is part of a two-step process, which also includes applying for an operating license.—
Pippa Stevens,
CNBC,
24 Apr. 2026
-
Girod noted that by applying for relief, Guerra Sandoval was giving the government all her personal information — even fingerprints.—
Ximena Bustillo,
NPR,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
In a new book, Geoff Kelly traces how the artworks moved through criminal networks, where violence took the lives of key suspects and witnesses, and challenges long-circulating theories by revisiting key details.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
26 Apr. 2026
-
The investigation began on Thursday after a clip of audio featuring Ciara Miller, Westling Wilson and Amanda Batula ended up circulating on social media, amid Wilson and Batula’s recent romance.—
Glenn Garner,
Deadline,
26 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The fourteenth element is also very poor at transmitting light.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
27 Apr. 2026
-
Instead of mining and transporting coal to the surface – a costly and complex process – the system could convert coal into electricity in situ, transmitting only power upward.—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
26 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Charles’s timing makes the benefits of separating those roles more obvious.—
Erin Vanderhoof,
Vanity Fair,
26 Apr. 2026
-
The couple sat in a vestibule inside the Aurora immigration detention facility on a Saturday in March, staring at each other through the glass barrier separating the incarcerated from the free.—
Elizabeth Hernandez,
Denver Post,
26 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
These organizations, striving to fill the information gap created by the state government’s increasing drift toward secrecy — can’t rely on taxpayers to pay their bills.—
Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board,
The Orlando Sentinel,
30 Apr. 2026
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These changes were to be achieved by increasing the consumption of fruits and vegetables, decreasing the consumption of meat and eggs, and substituting nonfat milk for whole milk.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Avoid propagating plants that are actively flowering.—
Lauren Landers,
Better Homes & Gardens,
20 Apr. 2026
-
That means that winemakers across what is now France must have switched from domesticating wild grapes to propagating them directly—that is, cloning grapevines by taking cuttings of the plants to start new groves.—
Jackie Flynn Mogensen,
Scientific American,
24 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Spreading.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spreading. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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