spread

 Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English 5++朗文当代英语 5++LDOCE 5++朗文 5++spread1 /spred/ ●●● S2 W2 verb (past tense and past participle spread)  1  affect more people/places 影响更多的人/地方 [intransitive, transitive]SPREAD if something spreads or is spread, it becomes larger or moves so that it affects more people or a larger area 扩散，蔓延spread through Fire quickly spread through the building. 火势在楼里迅速蔓延。spread over He watched the dark stain spread over the gray carpet. 他看着深色污渍在灰色地毯上漫开。spread among The disease spread rapidly amongst the poor. 疾病在穷人中间迅速传播。spread (from something) to something The cancer had spread to her liver. 癌已经扩散到她的肝脏。 Revolution quickly spread from France to Italy. 革命迅速从法国蔓延到意大利。2  information/ideas 信息/观点 a) [intransitive]SPREAD to become known about or used by more and more people 流传，传播 News of the explosion spread swiftly. 发生爆炸的消息迅速传播开来。spread to/through/over etc Buddhism spread to China from India. 佛教从印度传到中国。 The news spread like wildfire (=very quickly). 消息如野火般迅速传开。 Word spread quickly that she was leaving. 她要离开的消息迅速传开。 b) [transitive]TELL to tell a lot of people about something 传播，散布；通知 Andy loves spreading rumours about his colleagues. 安迪很喜欢散播关于同事的谣言。 They are spreading the word about the benefits of immunization. 他们在宣传注射疫苗的好处。3  open/arrange 打开/安排 (also spread out) [transitive]SPREAD to open something out or arrange a group of things so that they cover a flat surface 摊开，展开，张开，铺开spread something over/across/on something Papers and photos were spread across the floor. 地板上摊满了报纸和照片。 He spread the map out on the desk. 他在桌上摊开地图。 a table spread with a white cloth 铺着白色台布的桌子4  throughout an area 遍及某一区域 [intransitive] (also be spread, spread out) to cover or exist across a large area 绵延；覆盖；分布spread over the forest that spread over the whole of that region 将那一地区全部覆盖的森林spread throughout The company has more than 2,500 shops spread throughout the UK. 这家公司有超过 2,500 家商店分布在英国各地。5  soft substance 软物质 [intransitive, transitive]SPREAD to put a soft substance over a surface, or to be soft enough to be put over a surface 涂抹，敷；可以涂抹spread something on/over something He spread plaster on the walls. 他往墙上抹灰泥。spread something with something Spread the toast thinly with jam. 在烤面包片上抹一层薄薄的果 酱。 If you warm up the butter, it’ll spread more easily. 如果把黄油加热，抹起来就更容易。 Spread the nut mixture evenly over the bottom. 把果仁混合料均匀地抹在底部。6  arms/fingers etc 手臂/手指等 [transitive]PUSH if you spread your arms, fingers, or legs, you move them far apart 张开，伸开〔手臂、手指或腿〕 He shrugged and spread his hands. 他耸耸肩，摊开双手。7  over time 分散于一段时间内 [transitive] (also spread out)SLOW to do something over a period of time, rather than at one time 将…分散〔于一段时间内〕spread something over something Could I spread the repayments over a longer period? 我可以把贷款在更长的时间里分期还清吗？ There will be 12 concerts spread throughout the summer. 今夏将有 12 场音乐会。8  share 分摊 [transitive]SHARE to share or divide something among several people or things 分配，分摊spread the load/burden The bills are sent out on different dates to spread the workload on council staff. 议案于不同的日期分发，以便分散市政会工作人员的工作量。 They want the country’s wealth to be more evenly spread. 他们希望国家财富分配更加平均。9  smile/look 笑容/表情 [intransitive always + adverb/preposition]EXPRESSION ON somebody'S FACE if an expression spreads over someone’s face, it slowly appears on their face 〔脸上〕慢慢流露出spread over/across A slow smile spread over her face. 笑容慢慢在她脸上绽放。10  spread your wings a) INDEPENDENT PERSONto start to have an independent life and experience new things 开始独立生活 A year spent studying abroad should allow him to spread his wings a bit. 在国外留学一年可以让他独立一些。 b) if a bird or insect spreads its wings, it stretches them wide 〔鸟或昆虫〕张开翅膀11  a) be spread (too) thin/thinly if money, effort etc is spread thin, it is being used for many things so there is not enough for each thing 〔钱、精力等〕用得过于分散（而不够分配） They complained that resources were spread too thinly. 他们抱怨资源使用过于分散。 b) spread yourself too thin to try to do too many things at the same time so that you do not do any of them effectively 兼顾太多的 事情12. spread seeds/manure/fertilizer TASPREADto scatter seeds, manure etc on the ground 播撒种子/施肥13 spread out phrasal verb a) SPREADif a group of people spread out, they move apart from each other so that they cover a wider area 〔一群人〕散开，分散 The search party spread out to search the surrounding fields. 搜索队员四散开来搜查周围的田野。b) spread something ↔ outSPREAD to open something out or arrange a group of things on a flat surface 打开，摊开，展开 Sue spread out her notes on the kitchen table and began to write. 休把笔记本摊开放在厨房桌子上，开始写了起来。c) SPREAD (also be spread out) to cover a large area 伸展，延伸 The city spread out below her looked so calm. 城市在她下方绵延开来，看起来如此宁静。d)OVER TIME 分散于一段时间内 spread something ↔ outSLOW to do something over a period of time, rather than at one time 将…分散〔在一段时间内〕spread something ↔ out over The course is spread out over four days. 这门课程分四天进行。 → spread your net wide at net1(8)n COLLOCATIONS – Meanings 1 & 2nounsa disease spreads/is spread (=among a group of people)The disease is spread by mosquitoes.a cancer/infection spreads (=in someone’s body)The cancer had spread to his brain.news/word spreadsAs news of his death spread, his army disintegrated.spread the news/the wordHe has been spreading the word about ways to beat heart disease.spread a story (also spread a rumour British English, spread a rumor American English)When Brown’s hotel burned down, Clark spread the rumor that Forsyth was to blame.a story spreads (also a rumour spreads British English, a rumor spreads American English)It was the sort of story that would spread like wildfire.spread lies/gossipHow dare you spread such vicious lies!Has someone been spreading malicious gossip?spread terror/panicThe murders were clearly intended to spread terror.fire spreads (also flames spread)The fire had spread to a nearby shed.violence/fighting spreadsThere is no indication that the violence is likely to spread.somebody’s fame/reputation spreadsTheir musical fame has spread far beyond their native country.adverbsspread rapidly/quicklyThe fire spread rapidly, consuming many of the houses.phrasesspread like wildfire (=spread extremely quickly)The news spread like wildfire through the town.→ See Verb table

Examples from the Corpus

spread• By then, the flood water had spread across 80 square miles of farmland.• She was on a sheet, naked with her legs spread apart.• Thus a gene for chromosomal fratricide will spread as surely as a murderer will inherit the Earth.• I don't want the mess spreading back into my working world.• AIDS is not spread by common everyday contact.• Malaria, spread by mosquitoes, is one of the biggest public health problems in Africa.• After she died at a San Jose hospital, word spread fast.• A single tractor was slowly spreading fertilizer over a huge wheatfield.• Meyer and his team were the first to show how the disease spreads from animals to humans.• Here, a key way for an individual to spread his or her point of view is to get connected.• The lawsuit charged the magazine with spreading lies about the company and its products.• When low performance leads to an organizational crisis, rumors of executive malfeasance spread like wildfire among rank-and-file members.• Refugees have entered the south of the country and are spreading northwards.• The fire is spreading out of control.• The forest fires in the Northwest are spreading out of control.• With the large number of children spread out over the country, it was inevitable that visits were infrequent.• She knocked over her glass, and a dark pool of wine spread over the tablecloth.• News of the disaster was spreading quickly.• Spread the frosting over the warm pastries.• Make sure that you spread the glue on both surfaces.• In one, the businessperson allocated time, spreading the project over several weeks.• She spread the toast with butter and jam.• Spreading the work around will help us meet the project deadline.• Panic spread through downtown Port-au-Prince.• Cholera is spreading through the refugee camps at an alarming rate.• Rumors about Amy spread through the school.• The fire quickly spread to several nearby factories.• When it is placed in a container it spreads uniformly throughout the whole volume of the container.spread over• For 20 days spread over 1988 and 1989 he compared spot and futures returns for five-minute periods.• He felt a relieved smile spreading over his face and something like freedom in his heart.• Conservation areas can be spread over large chunks of historic towns or just one street.• In other words the tax is not spread over previous transactions, but is charged on the full amount of the sale.• Life companies are to be assessed each year on the gains on their units, and taxes spread over seven years.• Pages were spread over the wineglasses and dinner plates.• His $ 750,000 signing bonus was spread over three years at $ 250,000 per year.spread to/through/over etc• The purge soon spread to an onslaught against oppositionists within the party itself.• The cancer, having spread to my bones, is inoperable.• Pray that the conflict would not spread to neighbouring countries.• A wave of electrical activity spreads over the heart.• The white, rubbery fluid spread over the metal skin, hiding the crater from view.• By Saturday morning, cold air had spread over the region, turning the snowpack bulletproof.• The funding of capital expenditure is usually spread over the years that benefit will accrue.• The industrial action quickly spread to transport and municipal workers and workers on tea, sugar and tobacco plantations.spread over• For 20 days spread over 1988 and 1989 he compared spot and futures returns for five-minute periods.• He felt a relieved smile spreading over his face and something like freedom in his heart.• Conservation areas can be spread over large chunks of historic towns or just one street.• In other words the tax is not spread over previous transactions, but is charged on the full amount of the sale.• Life companies are to be assessed each year on the gains on their units, and taxes spread over seven years.• Pages were spread over the wineglasses and dinner plates.• His $ 750,000 signing bonus was spread over three years at $ 250,000 per year.spread something on/over something• She spread the frosting evenly over the cake.spread something over something• The various musical performances will be spread over three days.spread the load/burden• It's worth trying to draw up a list like this, because it ensures that you spread the load.• The best are fairly wide to spread the load and well padded - often with dual-density foam.• It is fair; it spreads the burden evenly, providing proper discounts and proper control of local authorities.• Whether more participants spreads the load of sin is not altogether clear.• Use of the top tensioners also helps to spread the load over the whole of the shoulder harness.• The block of softwood can be used to spread the load when using the hammer.spread over/across• The project's 30 houses will be built in clusters and spread over a five-acre site.• Today that business has spread across all fifty states and fifty-four countries.• The exchange would be spread over five years.• The sounds are played via the 12 fingertip-sized pads spread across the bottom quarter of the front panel.• The white, rubbery fluid spread over the metal skin, hiding the crater from view.• The clouds running before the sun were spreading across the pink of the sky.• Increasingly, however, banks want businesses that pay them fees up front rather than interest payments spread over time.• Today they last a long time and spread across wider territories.

Related topics: Food, Stocks & shares

spread2 ●●○ noun  1  increase 增长 [singular]INCREASE IN NUMBER OR AMOUNT when something affects or is known about by more people or involves a larger area 传播；扩展；蔓延 → increasespread of an attempt to stop the spread of nuclear weapons 制止核武器扩散的努力 the rapid spread of cholera in Latin America 霍乱在拉丁美洲的迅速传播2  soft food 软质食物 [countable, uncountable]DF a) a soft substance made from vegetable oil that is used like butter 〔植物油制成的〕人造黄油 one slice of toast with a low-fat spread 一片抹有低脂人造黄油的烤面包 b) a soft food which you spread on bread 涂面包的酱cheese/chocolate etc spread 奶酪酱/巧克力 酱等3  range 范围 [singular]VARIOUS/OF DIFFERENT KINDS a range of people or things 范围；广度；幅度wide/broad/good spread of something We have a good spread of ages in the department. 我们部门人员的年龄分布很合理。 a broad spread of investments 类型多样的投资4  area 地区 [singular] the total area in which something exists 分布范围，涉及区域 the geographical spread of the company’s hotels 这家公司下属酒店的地理分布5  double-page spread/centre spread TCNa special article or advertisement in a newspaper or magazine, which covers two pages or covers the centre pages 〔报刊中〕横跨两版的/中间折页的文章[广告] There’s a double-page spread in Sunday’s paper. 星期天的报纸上有一篇横跨两版的文章。6  large meal 丰盛的饭菜 [singular] informalMEAL a large meal for several guests on a special occasion 〔特殊场合招待数位客人的〕丰盛的饭菜 Tom’s mum laid on a huge spread. 克里斯的母亲摆上一桌丰盛的饭菜。7. hand/wings 手/两翼 [uncountable]HBPHBH the area covered when the fingers of a hand, or a bird’s wings, are fully stretched 〔手指伸直时〕手的全长；〔鸟的〕翼展8. bed cover 床罩 [countable] a bedspread 床罩9  money 钱 [countable] technicalBFS the difference between the prices at which something is bought and sold, or the interest rates for lending and borrowing money 〔买卖价格或借贷利率的〕差额，差幅spread between the spread between the city banks’ loan rates and deposit rates 城市银行贷款利率和存款利率之间的差额10  sport 体育运动 [singular] American English the number of points between the scores of two opposing teams 〔两支对抗的运动队的〕比分差距 a four-point spread 四分的差距11. spread of land/water AREAan area of land or water 一片土地/水域12. farm 农场 [countable] American EnglishTA a large farm or ranch 大农场；大牧场 → middle-aged spread at middle-aged(3)

Examples from the Corpus

spread• This led us to ask if there was intrafamilial spread of H pylori.• We always pause just where we can see the majestic spread of Notre Dame.• There was a nice spread at the reception after the wedding.• More ominously, the effort to halt the nuclear spread could also stall.• There's a big three-page spread about them in Sunday's paper.• But the spread of Internet use outside the United States is converting a national mess into a global one.• The process of proletarianisation has also received some impetus from the spread of agribusiness in the region.• The only way to prevent the spread of tuberculosis is to cure those infected by the disease.• The Thatcher government has opposed planning controls over agriculture that could have stopped the spread of intensive arable farming.• They were looking forward to the spread that Judith had prepared.• This spread is about 0. 05 percentage point tighter than a month ago, traders said.rapid spread• The result has been a rapid spread of unsightly buildings across the countryside.• All three factors are thought to have played a part in the rapid spread of the disease.• The rapid spread of small arms and light weapons facilitate the recruitment of child soldiers.cheese/chocolate etc spread• Blend with cream cheese and grated Cheddar to create a cheese spread.• Soon, the fame of Dunlop cheese spread throughout the county and the process was adopted widely.• Rub in the butter with the hands, then add the low-fat cheese spread and work in with the hands.wide/broad/good spread of something• The information in your letter is generally interesting, factual and covers a wide spread of abuses.• Very few papers indeed, therefore, had a wide spread of shareholders.• It incorporates a wide spread of disciplines and its members have been, or are, involved in a variety of professions.• To achieve that, they need a wide spread of artists.• This journal has a long and distinguished history, publishing mainly shorter papers on a wide spread of subjects.• The assets are actively managed and represent a wide spread of fixed interest stocks, U.K. and overseas equity shares and property.• Today's student teachers and young graduates undoubtedly represent a broader spread of social background - and this is to be welcomed.geographical spread• We also looked for a geographical spread of writers.• The appeal of a merger included widening Martineau's client base, a greater geographical spread and having more resources.• The geographical spread is reasonable, though doubtless there will be some omissions apparent depending on where you are based.• The geographical spread of the observers is skewed.From Longman Business Dictionaryspreadspread1 /spred/ verb (past tense and past participle spread)1[transitive] to share work, responsibility, or money among several peopleCompanies may want to spread their equity widely among stable, long-term shareholders.2[transitive] (also spread out) to pay for something gradually over a period of timeI asked if I could spread out the repayments.spread something over somethingSpread your premium payments over 12 monthly instalments.The cost is spread out over ten years.3[intransitive] to become widely used or known aboutDeregulation is spreading across the whole of Europe.4spread a riskINSURANCE to reduce the chance of a large loss by sharing the risk of insuring someone or something with other insurance companies→ See Verb tablespreadspread2 noun1[singular] a range of people or things, especially investmentsspread ofThe bank is keen to broaden its spread of risks.The assets represent a wide spread of fixed interest stocks, equity shares and property.2[countable]BANKING the difference between the interest rate a bank pays on DEPOSITs (=money put in the bank) and the interest rate it charges on loansspread betweenBanks must maintain an adequate spread between borrowing and lending rates. → yield spread3[countable]FINANCE the difference between two rates of interest. Interest on company bonds is often set in relation to the interest on particular government bondsThe noncallable notes were priced at a spread of 87.5 basis points (=0.875%) over the yield on the Treasury’s 10-year note.4[countable]FINANCE the difference between the buying price and the selling price of shares, UNIT TRUSTs etcThe spread between the bid and ask prices for the options is ¼ to ½ point $25 to $50 an option.5[countable]FINANCE the difference between the buying price and the selling price of a currency, or between two rates for a currencyThe policy of frequent devaluations of the Nicaraguan currency is designed to eliminate the spread between official and black-market exchange rates.6[countable] (also underwriting spread)FINANCE the difference between the price a financial institution pays to buy shares from the company that ISSUEs them (=makes them available) and the higher price the firm charges to investors who buy themThe underwriting spread can range from 3.5% to 7% of the offering price. → bid-offer spread7[countable]FINANCE in a MONETARY SYSTEM (=an arrangement where the values of currencies move in relation to each other within certain limits), the difference between the highest valued currency and the lowestThe dollar remained the grid’s strongest currency, with the spread between it and the weakest currency widening to 11%.Origin spread1 Old English sprædan

spread1 verb →n COLLOCATIONS1spread2 nounLDOCE OnlineChinese  

Corpus it becomes something larger or Business is if spread, spreads

spread

I

spread¹ S2 W2 /spred/ verb (past tense and past participle spread)1.  AFFECT MORE PEOPLE/PLACES  [intransitive and transitive] if something spreads or is spread, it becomes larger or moves so that it affects more people or a larger area
    spread through
    Fire quickly spread through the building.
    spread over
    He watched the dark stain spread over the gray carpet.
    spread among
    The disease spread rapidly amongst the poor.
    spread (from something) to something
    The cancer had spread to her liver.
    Revolution quickly spread from France to Italy.
2.  INFORMATION/IDEAS
  a. [intransitive] to become known about or used by more and more people:
    News of the explosion spread swiftly.
    spread to/through/over etc
    Buddhism spread to China from India.
    The news spread like wildfire (=very quickly).
    Word spread quickly that she was leaving.
  b. [transitive] to tell a lot of people about something:
    Andy loves spreading rumours about his colleagues.
    They are spreading the word about the benefits of immunization.
3.  OPEN/ARRANGE (also spread out) [transitive] to open something out or arrange a group of things so that they cover a flat surface
    spread something over/across/on something
    Papers and photos were spread across the floor.
    He spread the map out on the desk.
    a table spread with a white cloth
4.  THROUGHOUT AN AREA  [intransitive] (also be spread, spread out) to cover or exist across a large area
    spread over
    the forest that spread over the whole of that region
    spread throughout
    The company has more than 2,500 shops spread throughout the UK.
5.  SOFT SUBSTANCE  [intransitive and transitive] to put a soft substance over a surface, or to be soft enough to be put over a surface
    spread something on/over something
    He spread plaster on the walls.
    spread something with something
    Spread the toast thinly with jam.
    If you warm up the butter, it’ll spread more easily.
    Spread the nut mixture evenly over the bottom.
6.  ARMS/FINGERS ETC  [transitive] if you spread your arms, fingers, or legs, you move them far apart:
    He shrugged and spread his hands.
7.  OVER TIME  [transitive] (also spread out) to do something over a period of time, rather than at one time
    spread something over something
    Could I spread the repayments over a longer period?
    There will be 12 concerts spread throughout the summer.
8.  SHARE  [transitive] to share or divide something among several people or things
    spread the load/burden
    The bills are sent out on different dates to spread the workload on council staff.
    They want the country’s wealth to be more evenly spread.
9.  SMILE/LOOK  [intransitive always + adverb/preposition] if an expression spreads over someone’s face, it slowly appears on their face
    spread over/across
    A slow smile spread over her face.
10. spread your wings
  a. to start to have an independent life and experience new things:
    A year spent studying abroad should allow him to spread his wings a bit.
  b. if a bird or insect spreads its wings, it stretches them wide
11.
  a. be spread (too) thin/thinly if money, effort etc is spread thin, it is being used for many things so there is not enough for each thing:
    They complained that resources were spread too thinly.
  b. spread yourself too thin to try to do too many things at the same time so that you do not do any of them effectively
12. spread seeds/manure/fertilizer to scatter seeds, manure etc on the ground
⇨ spread your net wide at net¹(8)
     

COLLOCATIONS

(for Meanings 1 & 2)

■ nouns
   ▪ a disease spreads/is spread (=among a group of people) The disease is spread by mosquitoes.
   ▪ a cancer/infection spreads (=in someone’s body) The cancer had spread to his brain.
   ▪ news/word spreads As news of his death spread, his army disintegrated.
   ▪ spread the news/the word He has been spreading the word about ways to beat heart disease.
   ▪ spread a story (also spread a rumour British English, spread a rumor American English) When Brown’s hotel burned down, Clark spread the rumor that Forsyth was to blame.
   ▪ a story spreads (also a rumour spreads British English, a rumor spreads American English) It was the sort of story that would spread like wildfire.
   ▪ spread lies/gossip How dare you spread such vicious lies! | Has someone been spreading malicious gossip?
   ▪ spread terror/panic The murders were clearly intended to spread terror.
   ▪ fire spreads (also flames spread) The fire had spread to a nearby shed.
   ▪ violence/fighting spreads There is no indication that the violence is likely to spread.
   ▪ sb’s fame/reputation spreads Their musical fame has spread far beyond their native country.
■ adverbs
   ▪ spread rapidly/quickly The fire spread rapidly, consuming many of the houses.
■ phrases
   ▪ spread like wildfire (=spread extremely quickly) The news spread like wildfire through the town.
     
spread out phrasal verb
  1. if a group of people spread out, they move apart from each other so that they cover a wider area:
    The search party spread out to search the surrounding fields.
  2. spread something ↔ out to open something out or arrange a group of things on a flat surface:
    Sue spread out her notes on the kitchen table and began to write.
  3. (also be spread out) to cover a large area:
    The city spread out below her looked so calm.
  4. spread something ↔ out to do something over a period of time, rather than at one time
    spread something ↔ out over
    The course is spread out over four days.

II

spread² noun
1.  INCREASE  [singular] when something affects or is known about by more people or involves a larger area ⇨ increase
    spread of
    an attempt to stop the spread of nuclear weapons
    the rapid spread of cholera in Latin America
2.  SOFT FOOD  [uncountable and countable]
  a. a soft substance made from vegetable oil that is used like butter:
    one slice of toast with a low-fat spread
  b. a soft food which you spread on bread
    cheese/chocolate etc spread
3.  RANGE  [singular] a range of people or things
    wide/broad/good spread of something
    We have a good spread of ages in the department.
    a broad spread of investments
4.  AREA  [singular] the total area in which something exists:
    the geographical spread of the company’s hotels
5. double-page spread/centre spread a special article or advertisement in a newspaper or magazine, which covers two pages or covers the centre pages:
    There’s a double-page spread in Sunday’s paper.
6.  LARGE MEAL  [singular] informal a large meal for several guests on a special occasion:
    Tom’s mum laid on a huge spread.
7.  HAND/WINGS  [uncountable] the area covered when the fingers of a hand, or a bird’s wings, are fully stretched
8.  BED COVER  [countable] a bedspread
9.  MONEY  [countable] technical the difference between the prices at which something is bought and sold, or the interest rates for lending and borrowing money
    spread between
    the spread between the city banks’ loan rates and deposit rates
10.  SPORT  [singular] American English the number of points between the scores of two opposing teams:
    a four-point spread
11. spread of land/water an area of land or water
12.  FARM  [countable] American English a large farm or ranch
⇨ middle-aged spread at middle-aged(3)
     

THESAURUS

   ▪ farm an area of land, used for growing crops or keeping animals: a 300-hectare farm | a dairy farm | a sheep farm
   ▪ ranch a very large farm in the western US, Canada, or South America where sheep, cattle, or horses are bred: a cattle ranch in Wyoming
   ▪ smallholding British English a piece of land used for farming, that is smaller than an ordinary farm: a smallholding used for organic farming
   ▪ plantation a large area of land in a hot country, where crops such as tea, cotton, and sugar are grown: a rubber plantation | a tea plantation
   ▪ homestead a piece of land for farming that was given to people in the past by the US and Canadian governments: He still farms on the family homestead, a hundred years after his grandfather received it.
   ▪ spread American English informal an area of land used for farming or ranching: They have a pretty big spread just south of the Canadian border.
   ▪ market garden an area of land, often with greenhouses on it, used for growing vegetables and fruit: He runs his own market garden, and sells his produce to the big supermarkets.
   ▪ orchard an area of land with trees, used for growing fruit: an apple orchard | cherry orchards
   ▪ allotment British English a small area of land of land, especially in a town or city, which you can use for growing your own vegetables.The land is usually owned by the local council, who charge a very low rent: We grew the tomatoes on our allotment.
   ▪ agriculture the practice of farming: More than 75% of the land is used for agriculture.
   ▪ arable adjective relating to growing crops: a lack of arable land