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

Most recently, last month the Justice Department filed an antitrust suit against Apple, alleging the tech company has perpetuated a monopoly with the iPhone. —Todd Spangler, Variety, 5 Apr. 2024

But Morrow, the GOP candidate for state superintendent, had perpetuated a myth that Jim Carrey, among other actors, drinks the blood of children. —Danielle Paquette, Washington Post, 4 Apr. 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