per·pet·u·ate
pər-ˈpe-chə-ˌwāt 
perpetuated; perpetuating
: to make perpetual or cause to last indefinitely
perpetuate the species
per·pet·u·a·tion
plural -s
: the act or process of perpetuating : preservation
perpetuation of the culture—
A. L. Kroeber
A. L. Kroeberthe perpetuation of social inequalities—George Sampson
George SampsonExamples of perpetuate in a Sentence
Verb
He perpetuates the myth that his house is haunted.
Fears about an epidemic are being perpetuated by the media.
Recent Examples on the Web
Adrian Elimian, semafor.com, 12 June 2026
Explaining why this misconception about aliens has perpetuated over the years involves major last-act spoilers for the movie.
—Jesse Hassenger, Entertainment Weekly, 12 June 2026
Some of it is made up, sure, and perpetuated by those of us keeping the rivalry alive.
—Florence Ion, PC Magazine, 12 June 2026
Once the Water received the payments, totaling more than $11,000, other participants would move up one level and be required to recruit new participants to fill the Fire position and perpetuate the scheme, federal prosecutors said.
—Lillie Davidson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 10 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for perpetuate
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Verb
Congress is moving to put more pressure on Sudan’s warring factions, as the three-year war perpetuates one of the globe’s worst humanitarian crises.
—Adrian Elimian, semafor.com, 12 June 2026
Explaining why this misconception about aliens has perpetuated over the years involves major last-act spoilers for the movie.
—Jesse Hassenger, Entertainment Weekly, 12 June 2026
Some of it is made up, sure, and perpetuated by those of us keeping the rivalry alive.
—Florence Ion, PC Magazine, 12 June 2026
Once the Water received the payments, totaling more than $11,000, other participants would move up one level and be required to recruit new participants to fill the Fire position and perpetuate the scheme, federal prosecutors said.
—Lillie Davidson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 10 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for perpetuate
Cite this Entry
“Perpetuate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/perpetuate. Accessed 25 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
perpetuate
verb
per·pet·u·ate
pər-ˈpech-ə-ˌwāt
perpetuated; perpetuating
: to make perpetual or cause to last indefinitely
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.
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