A spread is a food that is spread, generally with a knife, onto foods such as bread or crackers.
Spreads are added to food to enhance the flavor or texture of the food, which may be considered bland without it.
Butter and soft cheeses are typical spreads.
Butter, mayonnaise, prepared mustard, and ketchup are typical sandwich spreads, along with their variants such as Thousand Island dressing, tartar sauce, and Russian dressing.
Spreads are different from dips, such as salsa, which are generally not applied to spread onto food but have food dipped into them instead.