verb / noun
spread
SPRED/spred/
To extend over a wider area.
The woman spreads red jam across the bread with a knife.
Etymology
Middle English spreden covered both stretching something out and diffusing it, such as beams of light. These uses share the idea of reaching across a wider area, retained in the modern verb.
In context
to spread the caulk you're going to want to put even pressure on the trigger on your caulk gun and slowly move it across the surface that you're caulking
More examples
- The vines spread across the fence each summer.
- A broad spread of farmland stretches beyond the town.
- We serve crackers with a creamy cheese spread.
- News of the closing spreads quickly through town.
Forms
spread · spreads · spreading
spreader noun — A tool for distributing material over a surface.