outspread

American  

[out-spred, out-spred, out-spred] / ˌaʊtˈsprɛd, ˈaʊtˈsprɛd, ˈaʊtˌsprɛd /

verb (used with or without object)

outspread, outspreading

1. to spread out; extend.

   an eagle outspreading its wings.

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adjective

1. spread out; stretched out.

   outspread arms.

2. diffused abroad; widely disseminated.

   The outspread news had traveled quickly.

noun

1. the act of spreading out; expansion.

   the rapid outspread of the early American colonists.

2. something that is spread out; an expanse.

   a vast outspread of rich farmland.

outspread British  

verb

1. to spread out or cause to spread out

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adjective

1. spread or stretched out

2. scattered or diffused widely

noun

1. a spreading out

Etymology

Origin of outspread

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

Example Sentences

At the top is an enamelled dove with outspread wings, which represents the Holy Ghost.

From Reuters • May 5, 2023

We all wish we could still run into the outspread arms of the father we lost.

From Salon • Nov. 23, 2022

In it, the angel’s wings are outspread, his gaze forward, his expression startled and open-mouthed, “looking as though he is about to move away from something he is fixedly contemplating,” writes Benjamin.

From New York Times • May 12, 2022

She then raised her outspread arms, thunder roared, lightning bolts flashed and — in some versions of the commercial — wild animals stampeded.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 25, 2020

The policeman who had shoved her away now barred her way with his long arms outspread like the wings of some prehistoric bird.

From "Kaffir Boy: An Autobiography" by Mark Mathabane

Related Words

• ample
• broad
• deep
• expanded
• extensive
• far-reaching
• full
• immense
• large
• loose
• spacious
• vast