What's the past tense of "spread"?
The simple past tense of spread is spread, and the past participle is also spread. Use spread for both simple past and past participle forms.
Definition of spread
The Oxford English Dictionary defines spread as "to extend over a large or increasing area; to become widely known or distributed." It's used in various contexts, from physical extension to the dissemination of information.
- The past tense of spread is spread.
- The past participle of spread is spread.
Verb forms of 'spread'
Is "spread" a regular or irregular verb?
Note: Regular verbs end in -ed in the past tense. Any other verb ending is considered irregular.
The verb spread is irregular. Its past tense and past participle forms are both spread, not "spreaded." This is a pattern shared with a small group of English verbs, and it's important to recognize when using "spread" in different contexts.
Similar irregular verbs
Here are other irregular verbs that follow a similar pattern to spread/spread/spread, with the same form for all tenses:
Sentence examples: spread, spread, spread
• She spreads cream cheese on her bagel every morning.
• The wildfire spreads rapidly through the dry forest.
• The news spreads like a virus on social media.
• Last week, they spread a layer of mulch in the garden.
• The disease spread to neighboring towns before it was contained.
• She spread a blanket on the beach and watched the sun go down.
• The virus has spread uncontrollably in recent weeks.
• The message has been spread to raise awareness about the cause.
• The news had already spread to all corners of the city.
Synonyms & nearby words
Synonyms for spread
Nearby phrases
Origin of the word spread
From Old English spraedan "to stretch out, expand, scatter," related to Old Norse spretta and Middle Dutch spreiden. The modern sense of "extend over a surface" is from the 13th century.
Practice: Forms of "Spread"
She ______ the blanket on the grass for the picnic.
The rumor has ______ across the school.
If you ______ the butter too thick, it won't taste good.
The disease ______ quickly through the village last year.
She has ______ joy wherever she goes.
FAQs
What is the past tense of "spread"?
Is "spreaded" grammatically correct?
How do I know if "spread" is past tense?
What are some examples of "spread" in past tense?
"Spread" is an irregular verb? How?
Sources
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Simpson, J. A., and E. S. C. Weiner. "Spread, v." Oxford English Dictionary. Oxford University Press. Date of access 15 Jan. 2025.
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Huddleston, Rodney, and Geoffrey K. Pullum. "The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language." Cambridge University Press, 2002. Date of access 15 Jan. 2025.
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