spreader

[ spred-er ]

/ ˈsprɛd ər /

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noun

a person or thing that spreads.

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

a machine for dispersing bulk material: manure spreader.

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

Nautical. a strut for spreading shrouds on a mast.

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Origin of spreader

First recorded in 1475–85; spread + -er¹

OTHER WORDS FROM spreader

an·ti·spread·er, noun

Words nearby spreader

spread, spreadable, spread betting, spread eagle, spread-eagleism, spreader, spreader beam, spreader-ditcher, spreading center, spreading zone, spread like wildfire

How to use spreader in a sentence

People under 40 became the main spreaders of the virus, accounting for 57 percent of cases between July and August.
900,000 infected. Nearly 15,000 dead. How the coronavirus tore through D.C., Maryland and Virginia.|Rebecca Tan, Antonio Olivo, John D. Harden|February 5, 2021|Washington Post
The evidence now suggests that the role of such “silent spreaders” is substantial, even though they tend to infect fewer people on average.
So you got the vaccine. Can you still infect people? Pfizer is trying to find out.|Stephanie Arnett|February 2, 2021|MIT Technology Review
In the early days of the pandemic, ski resorts across Europe became super spreaders, with visitors transporting the virus like carry-on luggage, threatening other tourists and locals alike.
What America's Richest Ski Town's Handling of COVID-19 Says About the Country|Lucas Isakowitz|February 1, 2021|Time
My goal, in the midst of what I feared was a super spreader event, was to make the room at least a little safer.
Lawmakers may have been exposed to the coronavirus in Capitol lockdown, attending physician says|Paulina Firozi, Amy B Wang, Mike DeBonis|January 11, 2021|Washington Post

Some aides then told told PBS’s Yamiche Alcindor that they felt pressured to attend the event to “save face,” and that they were worried it would become a potential super spreader event.
HUD Secretary Ben Carson Has Tested Positive For COVID-19|Kirsten West Savali|November 9, 2020|Essence.com
The event was a devastating one for Sierra Leone, deemed a “super-spreader” by The New York Times.
Jail Threats for Sierra Leone Ebola Victims’ Families|Abby Haglage|December 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Thou wast a Valacrone in Varinsey, cunning as a fox, a spreader of lies.
The Elder Eddas of Saemund Sigfusson; and the Younger Eddas of Snorre Sturleson|Saemund Sigfusson and Snorre Sturleson
The spreader is usually stationed in the nearest side track to the unloading place.
Steam Shovels and Steam Shovel Work|E. A. Hermann
The other method, called the spreader method, was more intricate.
America's Munitions 1917-1918|Benedict Crowell
Then you will be talked of by all the town as a spreader of false reports,—in short, Ferdinand loves another.
Love and Intrigue|Friedrich Schiller
He knew that it meant figuratively a light-spreader: one who marches ahead of his comrades to enlighten the others.
A Scout of To-day|Isabel Hornibrook

British Dictionary definitions for spreader

spreader

/ (ˈsprɛdə) /

noun

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

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

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