1. To move over and onto something or some place; to be distributed or dispersed onto something or some place. Vines from the neighbor's ivy plant began spreading onto our side of the fence. Contact me as soon as possible if the rash begins to spread onto any other part of your body. The ink spilled and spread onto the other students' desks.

2. To distribute some substance onto the surface of something or some area. In this usage, a noun or pronoun is used between "spread" and "onto." Spread your icing onto the cake with a spatula, trying to make it as even and smooth as possible. I spent the afternoon spreading tar onto the roof .