noun
adj
verb
Freq #103403
Meanings
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1
noun
a representation of an eagle with its wings and legs extended
A painted spread-eagle occupied the center of the old sign.
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2
adj
positioned with the arms and legs stretched widely apart
He landed spread-eagle on the soft grass.
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3
adj
dated, especially US: bombastic or boastfully patriotic in style
The speaker delivered a spread-eagle tribute to national greatness.
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4
verb
to stretch or place with the arms and legs spread apart
The guards spread-eagled the suspect against the wall during the search.
Thesaurus
Etymology
From the heraldic spread eagle, an eagle shown with wings and legs extended. The dated bombastic sense developed in the United States from the eagle as a national emblem.