diversify

verb

di·ver·si·fy də-ˈvər-sə-ˌfī

dī-

diversified; diversifying

transitive verb

: to make diverse or composed of unlike elements : give variety to

diversify a course of study

: to balance (an investment portfolio) defensively by dividing funds among securities (see security sense 3) of different industries or of different classes

diversify your investments

: to increase the variety of the products of

diversify the company

intransitive verb

: to produce variety

encouraging farmers to diversify

: to engage in varied operations

diversifying into online services

diversifier

də-ˈvər-sə-ˌfī(-ə)r

dī-

noun

Example Sentences

The country is diversifying its energy sources. farmers who want to diversify their crops The new CEO's chief aim is to diversify the company. The company needs to diversify. Many publishing companies have diversified into online services.

Recent Examples on the Web The program seeks to promote the role of women across engineering fields and diversify the engineering school’s student body, where about 32% of the incoming freshman class identifies as female. —

Ethan Ehrenhaft, Baltimore Sun, 12 May 2023 The Human Pangenome Reference Consortium diversified that reference by sequencing the genomes of 47 individuals from all continents except Antarctica. —

Byscience News Staff, science.org, 11 May 2023 On Point Biden’s military pick will diversify Pentagon leadership President Joe Biden is expected to nominate Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. to chair the Joint Chiefs of Staff, succeeding Gen. Mark A. Milley, whose term ends in September. —

Ellen Mcgirt, Fortune, 5 May 2023 The Dallas Symphony Orchestra has been diversifying its programming and lineups of guest conductors. —

Scott Cantrell, Dallas News, 5 May 2023 With a recession around the corner, diversifying your portfolio is a good idea. —

Q.ai - Powering A Personal Wealth Movement, Forbes, 3 May 2023 The goal was to help diversify the city’s prestigious schools, which have long been overrepresented by white and wealthier students. —

Christopher Huffaker, BostonGlobe.com, 29 Apr. 2023 The aim is to strike a balance between diversifying Germany’s ties throughout Asia to avoid dependence on Chinese imports, while acknowledging the importance of doing business with China. —

Melissa Eddy, New York Times, 12 Apr. 2023 The new books were celebrated by local LGBTQ advocates and students who had pushed for the school system to diversify its curriculum. —

Nicole Asbury, Washington Post, 11 Apr. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'diversify.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English dyversefyen "to change, vary," borrowed from Anglo-French & Medieval Latin; Anglo-French diversefier, diversifier "to change, vary, be variable, be different," borrowed from Medieval Latin dīversificāre "to differentiate, differ, disagree, be at variance," verbal derivative of Late Latin dīversificus "varied," from Latin dīversus "turned in different directions, differing" + -i- -i- + -ficus -fic — more at diverse