spreader

[spred-er]

noun

1. a person or thing that spreads.

2. a small, dull knife or spatula used for spreading butter, jelly, etc., on bread.

3. a machine for dispersing bulk material.

   manure spreader.

4. a device for spacing or keeping apart two objects, as electric wires.

5. Nautical.,  a strut for spreading shrouds on a mast.

ˈspreader

/ ˈsprɛdə /

noun

1. a machine or device used for scattering bulk materials, esp manure or fertilizer, over a relatively wide area

2. a device for keeping apart or spacing parallel objects, such as electric wires

Other Word Forms

• antispreader noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of spreader¹

First recorded in 1475–85; spread + -er ¹

Example Sentences

It was a full-blooded attempt at character assassination, a branding of Rodgers as untrustful, a perpetrator of untruths, a spreader of falsehoods; divisive, misleading and unacceptable.

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I get to get on stage and make people laugh, be this joy spreader, and then I’m dealing with all these other things that have nothing to do with what I’m here to do.

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Yates cautioned that “streamers’ depictions of events are often false or misleading, so we must promote accurate and complete information — without engaging these disinformation spreaders or platforming their content.”

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Yet, some think this research leads to censorship when platforms choose to use the knowledge to label or remove suspect content or ban its primary spreaders.

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Tesla CEO Elon Musk is a prolific spreader and amplifier of misinformation on his social media platform X, formerly Twitter, a new report alleges.

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