spreading
sparad
to (cause to) cover, reach, or have an effect on a wider or increasing area:
The fire spread very rapidly because of the strong wind.
It started off as cancer of the liver but it spread to other areas of the body.
The redundancies are spread across the banking and building industries.
We spread the picnic rug out on the ground and sat down to eat.
The virus is spread (= given to other people) through contact with blood and other body fluids.
Are you spreading (= telling a lot of people) gossip/rumours again?
If we spread (= divide) the work between us, it won't seem so bad.
She spread her toast with a thick layer of butter./She spread a thick layer of butter on her toast.
It's a special sort of butter that spreads easily even when cold.
The suburbs spread (out) for miles to either side of the city.
Slowly a smile spread across her face.