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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ˈspreader 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

• antispreader noun

Etymology

Origin of spreader

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

Example Sentences

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

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

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

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

From Salon • May 5, 2024

He could, of course; the spreader was simple to operate.

From "Z for Zachariah" by Robert C. O’Brien