spread :

(1) The gap between bid and ask prices of a stock or other security. (2) The simultaneous purchase and sale of separate futures or options contracts for the same commodity for delivery in different months. Also known as a straddle. (3) Difference between the price at which an underwriter buys an issue from a firm and the price at which the underwriter sells it to the public. (4) The price an issuer pays above a benchmark fixed-income yield to borrow money.

Spread :

This is the difference between the buying (bid) and selling (offer) price quoted by a broker, expressed in pips or points. For example, if the USD/CHF is quoted at 1.2534 (bid) – 1.2538 (offer), the spread is 4 pips.