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 of perpetuate

• commemorate
• celebrate
• immortalize
• honor
• eternalize

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

Myths about female fragility and commercial value, perpetuated by institutions like the UCI and biased sports science, systematically prevented growth. — Lindsey Darvin, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026

There was a Democratic President helping fund the war in Gaza, and there was real anger about the role that the Biden Administration was playing in perpetuating massive war crimes and other horrible, horrible things in the conflict. — Isaac Chotiner, New Yorker, 30 July 2026

The party is now getting bombarded by GOP attack ads accusing its members of perpetuating insider trading. — David Weigel, semafor.com, 29 July 2026

The complaint also alleges that the companies failed to adopt alternative designs and perpetuated the misconception that plastic filters are biodegradable or can be disposed of in public without significant consequence. — Reeti Malhotra july 23, Sacbee.com, 23 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

Latin perpetuatus, past participle of perpetuare, from perpetuus

First Known Use

1530, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for perpetuate

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

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