proliferate

verb

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pro·lif·er·ate | \ prə-ˈli-fə-ˌrāt

proliferated; proliferating

Definition of proliferate

intransitive verb

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

2 : to increase in number as if by proliferating : multiply

transitive verb

1 : to cause to grow by proliferating

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

Other Words from proliferate Synonyms & Antonyms Did you know? Example Sentences Learn More About proliferate

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Other Words from proliferate

proliferation \ prə-ˌli-fə-ˈrā-shən

\ noun

proliferative \ prə-ˈli-fə-ˌrā-tiv

, prə-ˈli-f(ə-)rə-tiv

\ adjective

Did you know?

Proliferate came about in 1873 as a back-formation of "proliferation." That means that "proliferation" came first (we borrowed it from French in the 1850s) 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 For Lattice Semiconductor to continue to proliferate, the company will have to focus on growing in its current markets and attacking new ones. — Patrick Moorhead, Forbes, 13 May 2021 The flow of dangerous content continues to proliferate. — Anita Chabria, Los Angeles Times, 30 Mar. 2021 As the plant based and meatless industry grows and enters new markets, expect to see options proliferate. — Richard Howells, Forbes, 4 May 2021 The jumping worm's ability to reproduce without mating, proliferate quickly and lay eggs that resemble the soil are a few qualities that make the worm extremely invasive, reported Cindy Dampier for the Chicago Tribune. — Elizabeth Gamillo, Smithsonian Magazine, 22 Apr. 2021 That such scams would proliferate during a bull market, and amid a pandemic, were hardly a surprise to the investigators. — Eric J. Lyman, Fortune, 19 Apr. 2021 But the campaign unleashed the worst humanitarian crisis on the planet, with widespread death, destruction and hunger, while doing little to diminish Iran’s role and allowing jihadist militias to proliferate. — Chris Megerian, Los Angeles Times, 25 Feb. 2021 The problems with the Trump internet have not disappeared—online spaces dedicated to hate and delusion still proliferate. — Kaitlyn Tiffany, The Atlantic, 13 Apr. 2021 That sales of objects from Japanese American concentration camps continue to proliferate is just part of that pattern, said David Inoue, executive director of the civil rights organization Japanese American Citizens League. — Harmeet Kaur, CNN, 11 Apr. 2021

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'proliferate.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.