verb

• (transitive) To stretch out, open out (a material etc.) so that it more fully covers a given area of space.
  "He spread his newspaper on the table."
• (transitive) To extend (individual rays, limbs etc.); to stretch out in varying or opposing directions. simple past and past participle of spread
  "I spread my arms wide and welcomed him home."
• (transitive) To disperse, to scatter or distribute over a given area.
  "I spread the rice grains evenly over the floor."
• (intransitive) To proliferate; to become more widely present, to be disseminated.
  "Whether modern, industrial man is less or more warlike than his hunter-gatherer ancestors is impossible to determine.[…]One thing that is true, though, is that murder rates have fallen over the centuries, as policing has spread and the routine carrying of weapons has diminished. Modern society may not have done anything about war. But peace is a lot more peaceful."

noun

• (cartomancy) A layout, pattern or design of cards arranged for a reading.
• (bread, etc.) Any form of food designed to be spread, such as butters or jams.
  "Ferd liked to experiment with sandwich spreads ― the one he liked most was cream-cheese, olives, anchovy and avocado, mashed up with a little mayonnaise ― but Oscar always had the same pink luncheon-meat."
• (military) A set of multiple torpedoes launched on side-by-side, slowly-diverging paths toward one or more enemy ships.
  "Johnston, meanwhile, has managed to get within five miles of its target, and fires a full spread of ten torpedoes. Minutes later, at least two, possibly three, tear the bow off the hapless cruiser Kumano. First blood, unbelievably, therefore, goes to the Americans."
• (prison slang, uncountable) Food improvised by inmates from various ingredients to relieve the tedium of prison food.

verb

• (intransitive, transitive, debating slang) To speedread; to recite one's arguments at an extremely fast pace.
  "You're assuming that if someone spreads they aren't a good orator. That's flawed logic."

noun

• (debating slang) An act or instance of spreading (speedreading).
  "If debate is a game, then the execution of a "spread" is like a well-timed blitz in football. Convincing a judge that your opponents' arguments would cause human extinction is equivalent to a successful Hail Mary pass."