spreader

American  

[spred-er] / ˈsprɛd ər /

noun

• spreaders
  plural

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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spreader British  

/ 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

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• antispreader
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• spreaders
  plural

Etymology

Origin of spreader

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

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

spreader spreaders

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.

From BBC ● Oct. 27, 2025

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.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 10, 2025

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

From Salon ● Sep. 27, 2024

Service providers sought to de-emphasize the use of large shelters during the early days of the pandemic, amid fears of a super spreader event through a vulnerable population.

From Seattle Times ● May 9, 2024

It was a fast spreader, and it could live easily in people.

From "The Hot Zone" by Richard Preston

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.

From Salon ● Jun. 17, 2025

It gets screenshotted and reposted by casual meme spreaders.

From Slate ● Nov. 14, 2024

Whether that kind of intervention works will depend on how motivated these misinformation spreaders are.

From Science Magazine ● May 29, 2024

These findings suggest that body lice may be more efficient spreaders of Y. pestis than previously thought, and they could have played a role in past plague outbreaks.

From Science Daily ● May 21, 2024

It had been upstairs at the store ever since, alongside the stock of corn planters, fertilizer spreaders, mule collars, iron washpots, hat trees, and extra brass racks for readymade dresses.

From "Cold Sassy Tree" by Olive Ann Burns