Just like the verb to spread , today’s phrasal verb has two essential meanings: “to spread” and “to extend”. Let’s see below in which situations to use spread out , as well as what other meanings the verb can also have.
1 – When used in relation to a group of people or objects, spread out means “to spread out” or “to disperse” in the sense of “to divide and cover a larger area”.
They
spread out to search the whole area .
Soldiers spread
out among the trees .
The
search party spread out to search the surrounding fields .
Dark clouds began to spread out across the sky.
The
police spread out to search the area faster .
2 – In relation to geographical formations or physical areas, spread out means “to extend” or – a nice word – “to reveal”.
The
city is spread out over a wide area.
The
vast landscape was spread out before us .
The city spread out below her looked so calm .
3 – Another very common use of spread out is to “place” or “arrange” a series of objects on any surface. This applies especially in the case of objects that were together (for example, a deck of cards) and are distributed separately on the table.
We spread our papers
out on the table .
He
spread out the map on the table .
He spread the cards out on the table.
He spread the cards on the table.
The
cards were spread out across the table .
Sue
spread out her notes on the kitchen table and began to write .
Spread out the map so we can all see it .
I can spread out this futon for you if you want to spend the night .
4 – Spread out can also be translated as “to distribute” or “divide” something over a certain period – for example, a payment that is made in installments can be spread out over a few months . Note that, in this case, the preposition over is used to indicate the period in question.
Additionally, spread out can also mean “to distribute” something among several people.
You can spread the payments out over six months if you want to .
The
course is spread out over four days .
They spread the work out
among the committee members .
5 – When used in relation to the body, spread out refers to the act of “distancing” two parts of the body from each other. For example, a bird that “extends” its wings is spreading out its wings. Again, each case may require a slightly different translation, but the essential meaning is always there. Check it out:
He
spread out his toes in the soft sand and wiggled them up and down.
Spread your arms out .
Open your arms wide.
The
bird is able to spread its wings out to nearly six feet in length . (1.80m, in case you were wondering.