perpetuate

verb

per·​pet·​u·​ate pər-ˈpe-chə-ˌwāt 

perpetuated; perpetuating

transitive verb

: to make perpetual or cause to last indefinitely

perpetuate the species

perpetuation

pər-ˌpe-chə-ˈwā-shən 

noun

perpetuator

pər-ˈpe-chə-ˌwā-tər 

noun

Synonyms

• eternalize
• immortalize

Examples of perpetuate in a Sentence

He perpetuates the myth that his house is haunted.

Fears about an epidemic are being perpetuated by the media.

Recent Examples on the Web

Obviously, distrust of government since then and the advent of social media has perpetuated more of all of this. —Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 12 July 2024

Are we now supposed to just perpetuate that mistake into the future? —Lawrence Andrea, Journal Sentinel, 5 July 2024

While employers have the tendency to blame Gen Z’s ‘goldfish memories’ for perpetuating this culture of distraction (64% of Insightful survey respondents said lack of focus was the biggest challenge of working with the youngest generation), zapped attention is not just their problem. —Bysasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 3 July 2024

That’s all been perpetuated by Hall of Fame coaches and the Allen Fieldhouse experience that is a hallowed marvel of college basketball — and a wonder of the Kansas City region. —Vahe Gregorian, Kansas City Star, 2 July 2024

Word History

Etymology

Latin perpetuatus, past participle of perpetuare, from perpetuus

First Known Use

1530, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

perpetuate

verb

per·​pet·​u·​ate pər-ˈpech-ə-ˌwāt 

perpetuated; perpetuating

: to make perpetual or cause to last indefinitely

perpetuation

-ˌpech-ə-ˈwā-shən 

noun

perpetuator

-ˈpech-ə-ˌwāt-ər 

noun

Legal Definition

perpetuate

transitive verb

per·​pet·​u·​ate pər-ˈpe-chə-ˌwāt 

perpetuated; perpetuating

: to preserve or make available (testimony) for later use at a trial by means of deposition especially when the evidence so gathered would be otherwise unavailable or lost

Note: Courts will not allow the perpetuation of testimony at a pretrial proceeding if it appears to be an attempt to fish for useful material.

perpetuation

pər-ˌpe-chə-ˈwā-shən 

noun