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spread-out

spread-out

1 3.5
Arranged so they cover a wide area like papers fanned on a table
  • adjective
  • /sprɛd aʊt/
translation icon : extendido
  • From that particular spot on the bed, she could see plainly the night sky spread out above the pines and cottonwoods.

The spectrum is very spread out, and the opposite is also true.

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Examples

  • It seems very unusual that the three stores targeted are so spread out and not the kind of stores that have large amounts of cash on hand.

    Blog text (18)
  • The conference will be held in a spread-out area with tents and tables for everyone to gather.

  • It's all spread out and available.

  • It's really different, and makes me realize how much I like taking notes at a desk with things spread out before me.

    Blog text (3)
  • Let's spread out this blanket for you.

  • So my husband Chris came into the kitchen where I'm working at that table back there and had everything spread out, just stuff everywhere.

  • I looked at her there on her white pillow, her hair all spread out like a fan, and I thought about June's father.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • There are inherent challenges in providing prompt service to a geographically huge country with a relatively small, spread-out population.

    Blog text (23)
  • For example, while the age spread of smartphone ownership peaks between 25 and 34 and falls sharply as age progresses, tablet ownership is much more spread out.

    Blog text (3)
  • In the park, families enjoyed a spread-out picnic with food and games covering the grass.

Synonyms

sprawling
vsspread-out
26 4.4

Spreading out over a large area in an untidy way like a city or tree branches

is about arranged extension to cover a wide area or resemble a fan
spread
vsspread-out
4 3.3

Fully opened and stretched out over an area

is the hyphenated adjective form used in similar contexts
scattered
vsspread-out
1 3.5

Spread over a wide area and not close together

implies an ordered extension to cover wide areas or resemble fans
outspread
vsspread-out
1 5.5

Stretched wide over a large area

emphasizes either a fan shape or broader area rather than width only
fanned
vsspread-out
4.3

Spread out like an open fan

focuses instead on general wide coverage rather than only fan shape
stretched
vsspread-out
3.0

Spread out far across a large area

emphasizes covering a wide area or resembling a fan rather than length
distributed
vsspread-out
3.8

Spread out across an area or shared among many people

focuses on covering a wide area or forming a fan rather than sharing
dispersed
vsspread-out
4.2

Spread out across a wide area

focuses on deliberate arrangement into a wide or fan-like formation

Antonyms

1 3.7

Pressed firmly together or made smaller to save space

2.2

Things brought together in one place, often in small folds

How Wide

far-flung
13 6.3
wide-ranging
23 4.1
extensive
330 4.1
spread-out
1 3.5
scattered
1 3.5
compact
60 4.1

Surface Forms

spread-out positive

Morphology

spread-out = spread + out (transparent) = spread + out

The adjective is directly formed from the phrasal verb 'spread out' (spread + out) with hyphenation marking adjectival use, so the meaning is clear from the components.

Etymology

Spread-out comes from the common verb spread ('stretch' or 'open') plus out ('away' or 'wide'). So something spread-out is opened or stretched so it covers a wide area or looks like a fan.