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

There is some grumbling in high school basketball circles regarding scheduling for the North Coast Section playoffs in that games are too spread out and at sites which aren’t seen as rewarding enough for teams playing their championship games. —Jerry McDonald, The Mercury News, 28 Feb. 2025

Scientists have long believed that hundreds of thousands of years ago, humans first learned to thrive in East African grasslands before spreading out and adapting to new environments. —N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA TODAY, 28 Feb. 2025

Partaking in this pastime, popular since the 16th century, is simple: To reserve a spot, identify how many people will be in your party, and spread out a blanket. —Katherine Lagrave, AFAR Media, 28 Feb. 2025

Similarly, rural schools are spread out across greater distances and programs can’t always be consolidated without keeping children on buses too long. —Jessika Harkay, Hartford Courant, 28 Feb. 2025

Rhymes for spread out

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