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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.
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Origin of spreader

First recorded in 1475–85; spread + -er1
Related formsan·ti·spread·er, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for spreader

Historical Examples

  • Since the spreader also rams the concrete, it is difficult to separate these two items.

    Concrete Construction

    Halbert P. Gillette

  • The coating on the drum is controlled or regulated by a spreader.

    All About Coffee

    William H. Ukers

  • The other method, called the spreader method, was more intricate.

  • The size of the loop is determined by the width of the mesh stick or spreader (No. 2).

    The Tinguian

    Fay-Cooper Cole

  • It can be broadcasted by hand if a spreader is not available, and mixed with the surface soil while in a powdered state.

British Dictionary definitions for spreader

spreader

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
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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