diversify

verb

di·​ver·​si·​fy də-ˈvər-sə-ˌfī 

dī-

diversified; diversifying

transitive verb

1

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

diversify a course of study

2

: 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

3

: to increase the variety of the products of

diversify the company

intransitive verb

1

: to produce variety

encouraging farmers to diversify

2

: to engage in varied operations

diversifying into online services

diversifier

də-ˈvər-sə-ˌfī(-ə)r 

dī-

noun

Examples of diversify in a Sentence

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

Rather than picking a side, companies – American or not – generally prefer to diversify their technology suppliers, Olander said. — John Liu, CNN Money, 26 Sep. 2026

Under Simon, Funko has has continued to diversify its supply chain, shifting production out of China to Vietnam and other countries. — Los Angeles Times, 26 Sep. 2026

At its Capital Markets Day on Monday, the company promised a pipeline of potential blockbuster products, including drugs that would diversify from its core area of obesity and diabetes. — Annika Kim Constantino,elsa Ohlen, CNBC, 25 Sep. 2026

This can enable a nonprofit to diversify funding beyond annual galas or grant cycles. — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 25 Sep. 2026

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

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Rhymes for diversify

• acidify
• alveoli
• antinomy
• areolae
• demystify
• detoxify
• disqualify
• electrify
• exemplify
• fasciculi
• identify
• indemnify

Kids Definition

diversify

verb

di·​ver·​si·​fy də-ˈvər-sə-ˌfī 

dī-

diversified; diversifying

1

: to make diverse : give variety to

2

: to increase the variety of products of

diversify a business

diversification

-ˌvər-sə-fə-ˈkā-shən 

noun