spread out

phrasal verb

spread out; spreading out; spreads out

1

: to open, arrange, or place (something) over a large area

He spread out the map on the table.

He spread the cards out on the table.

The cards were spread out across the table.

2

: to be open, arranged, or extended over a large area

The city is spread out over a wide area.

3

: to move (parts of the body) outward or away from each other

Spread your arms out.

There's no room on the couch to spread yourself out.

4

: to divide up (something) over a period of time or among members of a group

They spread the work out among the committee members.

The course is spread out over two semesters.

5

: to move apart from the other members of a group especially to search an area

The police spread out to search the area faster.

Examples of spread out in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

This root is related to the idea of something spread out or extended. —Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 27 Mar. 2025

These fires are generally warming or cooking fires that spread out of control. —U T Readers, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Mar. 2025

There is an option to spread out payments over three installments. —Rod Stafford Hagwood, Sun Sentinel, 26 Mar. 2025

The estimates assume $880 billion and $230 billion in broad Medicaid and SNAP cuts over 10 years, respectively, spread out evenly over the decade and proportionately among states. —Alex Fitzpatrick, Axios, 25 Mar. 2025

Rhymes for spread out

• about
• bailout
• blackout
• blowout
• breakout
• burnout
• buyout
• checkout
• closeout
• cutout
• devout
• dropout