SPREADING Synonyms: 170 Similar and Opposite Words

spreading 1 of 2

adjective

as in infectious

exciting a similar feeling or reaction in others spreading enthusiasm that got our club rolling again

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spreading

2 of 2

verb

present participle of spread

as in disseminating

to cause to be known over a considerable area or by many people spread the news!

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in applying

to put a layer of on a surface we spread the fertilizer over the lawn evenly until it was fully covered

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as in circulating

to become known once news of the war's end had spread, spontaneous celebrations broke out everywhere

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as in transmitting

to cause (something) to pass from one to another living conditions that help to spread chicken pox

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as in separating

to go or move in different directions from a central point the walls of the old barn spread under the weight of the snow on the roof

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as in increasing

to become greater in size, extent, volume, amount, or number dissatisfaction with the new administration is spreading rapidly

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of spreading

Verb

The resumption of classes comes in the middle of a ravaging disease outbreak that is spreading rapidly. — ABC News, 1 Sep. 2026 Don’t be alarmed, but George Michael fever — which is the incessant urge to listen to the music British singer-songwriter George Michael — has been spreading for the past couple of years. — Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 1 Sep. 2026 Left unchecked, mold and mildew can persist on fabrics even after washing, spreading a musty odor through an entire load. — Mary Cornetta, Better Homes & Gardens, 1 Sep. 2026 Firefighters rescued a dog named Agusta and prevented a house fire from spreading during an incident in Santa Ana, California, according to the Orange County Fire Authority. — Denis Akbari, USA Today, 1 Sep. 2026 Crews worked Monday to clear dry vegetation that could ignite from a lightning strike and cause fast-spreading fires, Abbott said. — Jamie Stengle, Los Angeles Times, 1 Sep. 2026 Generative AI videos of late-night talk show hosts are increasingly spreading on social media. — Brittney Melton, NPR, 1 Sep. 2026 The 130-micrometer polystyrene films came through untouched because spreading the same voltage across ten times the distance drops the field below what the material can tolerate. — Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 31 Aug. 2026 As excavations for the foundation got underway, bones and decomposing bodies were found, releasing a horrid odor and spreading yellow fever across the island. — Victoria Davies, Rolling Stone, 31 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for spreading

Adjective

The portable machine uses pulses of full-spectrum ultraviolet light to kill infectious germs inside hospital rooms.

— Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 30 Aug. 2026
Multiple baby goats at a North Carolina mobile petting zoo had rabies and may have been in direct contact with people at events while infectious, state health officials said Friday.

— Joe Marusak, Charlotte Observer, 29 Aug. 2026

Definition of infectious

Verb

Internally at the studios, copyright divisions spend their energy targeting larger criminal operations enabling these digital pirates — the hives sharing and disseminating premium content.

— Gene Maddaus, Variety, 21 Aug. 2026
Wheeler says teams should support their internal experts in publishing and disseminating their unique perspectives.

— Gary Drenik, Forbes.com, 20 Aug. 2026

Definition of disseminating

Verb

The people in the crosshairs The most drastic shifts impact those who plan to stay in Japan for the longest – those applying for permanent residency, a status that grants rights to work, unlimited entries, and infinite stay.

— Christine Miyawaki, CNN Money, 3 Sep. 2026
In a normal Transformer, tokens—the units of information that large language models process—are passed from lower layers of a model’s neural network to higher layers sequentially, with each layer applying mathematical operations in turn.

— Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 3 Sep. 2026

Definition of applying

Verb

Videos circulating online show crowds lining the narrow streets of Oia to pose in front of the Greek island's famous blue-domed churches — with some visitors lining up early in the morning for their turn.

— Kelly McGreal, FOXNews.com, 1 Sep. 2026
In the last few days, children had watched ICE through school bus windows — a video was circulating of kids filming from inside of a bus, shocked by the number of vehicles blocking the road.

— Laura Tillman, Hartford Courant, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of circulating

Verb

Ingenuity’s range was limited by a requirement to communicate through a base station on the Perseverance rover, while SkyFall will be capable of transmitting and receiving data through communications relay orbiters flying overhead.

— Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 1 Sep. 2026
Like a chair that converts into a storage table or flattens for stowing while transmitting its real-time configuration to a display.

— Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of transmitting

Verb

Set within its own natural lagoon on the southernmost tip of the Raa Atoll, the ocean stretches out as far as the eye can see, with hardly a blip separating sea, horizon, and sky.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 28 Aug. 2026
A couple years before that, the state began disaggregating data on Asian and Pacific Islanders, by separating Asian, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander groups.

— Sharon Udasin, Sun Sentinel, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of separating

Verb

The team stopped at 800 N because increasing the load further would require additional protective equipment, with a separate destructive limit test planned.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 3 Sep. 2026
Rattlesnake sightings are increasing across Texas, with warnings issued at schools and athletic fields.

— Brandi D. Addison, USA Today, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of increasing

Verb

Rather than propagating vertically toward the electrodes, the dendrites spread horizontally inside the electrolyte.

— Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 28 Aug. 2026
Instead, Shanahan recommends layering, a method of propagating new plants from a still-living thyme specimen.

— Alexandra Jones, The Spruce, 11 Aug. 2026