spreader

American  

[spred-er] / ˈsprɛd ər /

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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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

Etymology

Origin of spreader

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

Example Sentences

Chief executive Susan Hopkins previously said it looked as though there had been a super spreader event, with the outbreak ongoing within university halls of residences, where there would have been parties and social mixing.

From BBC • Mar. 20, 2026

Culex are more interested in biting birds rather than humans and are California’s primary spreader of West Nile virus.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 27, 2026

Like Henry Ford before him, Elon Musk has emerged as America’s top conspiracy spreader.

From Salon • May 5, 2024

The game has been created for research and teaching, and the participants assume the role of spreader of misleading news.

From Science Daily • Apr. 24, 2024

He knew tractors and combines, of course, and had seen his dad’s bush hog and manure spreader and gravity wagons up close, in the barn.

From "Among the Hidden" by Margaret Peterson Haddix