propagate

1 of 2

verb

prop·​a·​gate ˈprä-pə-ˌgāt 

propagated; propagating

transitive verb

1

: to cause to continue or increase by sexual or asexual reproduction

2

: to pass along to offspring

3

a

: to cause to spread out and affect a greater number or greater area : extend

b

: to foster growing knowledge of, familiarity with, or acceptance of (something, such as an idea or belief) : publicize

c

: to transmit (something, such as sound or light) through a medium

intransitive verb

1

: to multiply sexually or asexually

2

: increase, extend

3

: to travel through space or a material

—used of wave energy (such as light, sound, or radio waves)

propagative

ˈprä-pə-ˌgā-tiv 

adjective

propagator

ˈprä-pə-ˌgā-tər 

noun

propagator

2 of 2

noun

prop·​a·​ga·​tor |ə(r) 

plural -s

1

: one that propagates or disseminates

find the propagator of this slander

war has been the chief propagator of the machine

—Lewis Mumford

2

: one that propagates plants under glass or other special structures or in the open

Did you know?

The origins of propagate are firmly rooted in the field of horticulture. The word is a 16th century Latin borrowing, ultimately from the verb propagare, which means "to set (onto a plant) a small shoot or twig cut for planting or grafting." The word's meaning quickly extended from the realm of the farm and field to less material kinds of reproduction, such as the spreading of ideas and beliefs. The similarity between propagate and propaganda is not coincidental; that word also comes to us from propagare, although it took a more circuitous route.

Synonyms of propagate

Verb

• reproduce
• multiply

Examples of propagate in a Sentence

Verb

We are discovering new ways to propagate plants without seeds.

He propagated the apple tree by grafting.

The plants failed to propagate.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Errors, once embedded in data and processing, can propagate rapidly across thousands of decisions and become very hard to discover and remove effectively. —Troy Holaday, Forbes.com, 11 June 2026

The garden maintains detailed records for individual plants, contributes climate-change monitoring data, shares plant material with researchers and propagates threatened species as a safeguard against extinction. —Kalpana Mohan, Mercury News, 8 June 2026

These defects propagate through the device layers, degrading electron mobility, increasing leakage current, and shortening device reliability lifetimes. —Aditya Jadhav, Interesting Engineering, 8 June 2026

The young tender stems are also perfect for propagating. —Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 8 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Latin propagatus, past participle of propagare to set slips, propagate, from propages slip, offspring, from pro- before + pangere to fasten — more at pro-, pact

Noun

Latin, from propagatus (past participle of propagare to propagate) + -or

First Known Use

Verb

1535, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Rhymes for propagate

• abdicate
• abrogate
• acetate
• activate
• actuate
• aggravate
• agitate
• alginate
• alienate
• allocate
• amputate
• angulate

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Kids Definition

propagate

verb

prop·​a·​gate ˈpräp-ə-ˌgāt 

propagated; propagating

1

: to have or cause to have offspring : multiply sense 1

ways to propagate plants without seeds

propagate an apple by grafting

2

: to cause (as an idea or belief) to spread out and affect a greater number or wider area

propagate a faith

Medical Definition

propagate

verb

prop·​a·​gate ˈpräp-ə-ˌgāt 

propagated; propagating

transitive verb

1

: to cause to continue or increase by sexual or asexual reproduction

2

: to cause to spread or to be transmitted

intransitive verb

: to multiply sexually or asexually

propagable

ˈpräp-ə-gə-bəl 

adjective

propagative

-ˌgāt-iv 

adjective