outspread

[verb out-spred; adjective out-spred; noun out-spred]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR outspread ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with or without object), out·spread, out·spread·ing.

to spread out; extend: an eagle outspreading its wings.

adjective

spread out; stretched out: outspread arms.

diffused abroad; widely disseminated: The outspread news had traveled quickly.

noun

the act of spreading out; expansion: the rapid outspread of the early American colonists.

something that is spread out; an expanse: a vast outspread of rich farmland.

Origin of outspread

1300–50; Middle English outspredden (v.). See out-, spread

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for outspread

full, ample, broad, loose, deep, far-reaching, large, immense, spacious, extensive, vast, expanded, expansive, generous, spread, unravel, unfurl, bolster, widen, broaden

Examples from the Web for outspread

Historical Examples of outspread

Happy the man who sees from either aspect the glory of these outspread wings.
Howards End
E. M. Forster
He rose with outspread arms and the tears on his face and his voice broke.
Despair's Last Journey
David Christie Murray
At Passy we were received with shrugging shoulders and outspread hands.
Dross
Henry Seton Merriman
With outspread wings he flew in large circles over Heidi's head.
Heidi
Johanna Spyri
Jessop, with staring eyes and outspread hands, backed to the wall.
The Opal Serpent
Fergus Hume

British Dictionary definitions for outspread

outspread

verb (ˌaʊtˈsprɛd) -spreads, -spreading or -spread

to spread out or cause to spread out

adjective (ˈaʊtˈsprɛd)

spread or stretched out

scattered or diffused widely

noun (ˈaʊtˌsprɛd)

a spreading out

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012