perpetuate

verb

per·​pet·​u·​ate pər-ˈpe-chə-ˌwāt How to pronounce perpetuate (audio)
perpetuated; perpetuating

transitive verb

: to make perpetual or cause to last indefinitely
perpetuate the species
perpetuation noun
perpetuator noun

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Some plaintiffs and experts have said the chatbots perpetuated illusions, never flagged worrying language from a user or pointed the user to resources for help. Hadas Gold, CNN Money, 16 Sep. 2025 Frauds will take that much longer to discover when the firm can legally perpetuate radio silence. Shivaram Rajgopal, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2025 National conservatism is a rebellion against the natural course of human development as perpetuated by a growth in prosperity. Rafael Perez, Oc Register, 14 Sep. 2025 Political nepotism perpetuates the recycling of the same leaders, leaving young people without representation or a voice in governance. Sonal Nain, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for perpetuate

Word History

Etymology

Latin perpetuatus, past participle of perpetuare, from perpetuus

First Known Use

1530, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of perpetuate was in 1530

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Perpetuate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/perpetuate. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.

Kids Definition

perpetuate

verb
per·​pet·​u·​ate pər-ˈpech-ə-ˌwāt How to pronounce perpetuate (audio)
perpetuated; perpetuating
: to make perpetual or cause to last indefinitely
perpetuation noun
perpetuator noun

Legal Definition

perpetuate

transitive verb
per·​pet·​u·​ate pər-ˈpe-chə-ˌwāt How to pronounce perpetuate (audio)
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 noun

More from Merriam-Webster on perpetuate

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