proliferate

verb

pro·lif·er·ate prə-ˈli-fə-ˌrāt

proliferated; proliferating

Synonyms of proliferate next

intransitive verb

: to grow by rapid production of new parts, cells, buds, or offspring

: to increase in number as if by proliferating : multiply

transitive verb

: to cause to grow by proliferating

: to cause to increase in number or extent as if by proliferating

proliferation

prə-ˌli-fə-ˈrā-shən

noun

proliferative

prə-ˈli-fə-ˌrā-tiv

prə-ˈli-f(ə-)rə-tiv

adjective

Did you know?

Proliferate is a back-formation of proliferation. That means that proliferation came first (we borrowed it from French in the 18th century) and was later shortened to form the verb proliferate. Ultimately these terms come from Latin. The French adjective prolifère ("reproducing freely") comes from the Latin noun proles and the Latin combining form -fer. Proles means "offspring" or "descendants," and -fer means "bearing." Both of these Latin forms gave rise to numerous other English words. Prolific and proletarian ultimately come from proles; aquifer and words ending in -ferous have their roots in -fer.

Examples of proliferate in a Sentence

rumors about the incident proliferated on the Internet

Recent Examples on the Web Direct-response ads, long a staple of cable-news, tend to proliferate in places that mainstream marketers depart. —

Brian Steinberg, Variety, 28 Nov. 2023 Even after Israel cut off electricity and shut down the Internet in Gaza, Hamas was able to proliferate disinformation on messaging apps and social media by relying on a global army of sympathizers. —

Audrey Kurth Cronin, Foreign Affairs, 22 Nov. 2023 So last January, a van whisked her 130 miles to one of hundreds of sober-living houses that have proliferated around Phoenix in recent years, with little oversight or control. —

Jack Healy, New York Times, 11 Nov. 2023 New enterprises proliferated; by 2018, China had attracted sixty-three billion dollars in venture-capital deals, up nearly fifteenfold in five years. —

Evan Osnos, The New Yorker, 23 Oct. 2023 Israeli tanks mobilized outside Gaza have been adapted with overhead cages to protect against attack drones, a safety modification widely used in Ukraine that appears to be proliferating in a new conflict, analysis by The Washington Post shows. —

Alex Horton, Washington Post, 17 Oct. 2023 While such information has proliferated on X after Saturday’s attack, the research is believed to be the first concrete evidence that deliberate propaganda to mislead people about the conflict has gone unchecked on the platform. —

Kevin Collier, NBC News, 10 Oct. 2023 As these impacts unfold, threats against coastal and ocean-dependent communities are proliferating as well, the report says. —

Elizabeth Rayne, Ars Technica, 14 Nov. 2023 This type of technology — especially when it isn’t widely disclosed — can proliferate unattainable standards. —

Kirbie Johnson, Allure, 27 Oct. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'proliferate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

back-formation from proliferation, from French prolifération, from proliférer to proliferate, from prolifère reproducing freely, from Latin proles + -fer -ferous

First Known Use

1866, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Time Traveler

The first known use of proliferate was in 1866

See more words from the same year