propagation

noun prop·a·ga·tion \ ˌprä-pə-ˈgā-shən \

Definition of propagation

: the act or action of propagating: such as

a : increase (as of a kind of organism) in numbers

b : the spreading of something (such as a belief) abroad or into new regions

c : enlargement or extension (as of a crack) in a solid body

See propagation defined for kids

Recent Examples of propagation from the Web

Worms are among the most powerful types of malware because their self-propagation gives them viral qualities.

— dan goodin, Ars Technica, "“Drupalgeddon2” touches off arms race to mass-exploit powerful Web servers," 20 Apr. 2018
This will allow InSight to measure heat flow which, in addition to analyzing the frequency and propagation patterns of Marsquakes that the seismometers detect, will provide a sort of x-ray of the Martian interior.

— jeffrey kluger, Time, "NASA's InSight Lander Is About to Give Mars its First Health Checkup in 4.5 Billion Years," 4 May 2018
As a member and later national officer of the The Garden Club of America, Caroline oversaw scholarships, garden awards and GCA programs over decades, and was an award winner herself in plant propagation.

— courant.com, "Caroline H. Rohrbach," 3 May 2018
The district will receive $100,000 from Nicor Gas as part of an intergovernmental agreement with the Forest Preserve District of Kane County for mussel propagation, monitoring, training and research collaboration.

— staff report, Aurora Beacon-News, "Project works to boost number of mussels in Kane, McHenry counties," 2 May 2018
President Xi Jinping, who rose to power in 2012, has discouraged the propagation of Western influence at universities and has urged stricter oversight of classes and professors.

— New York Times, "Students Defiant as Chinese University Warns #MeToo Activist," 24 Apr. 2018
In photonic systems, the direction of wave propagation is usually reversible.

— davide castelvecchi, Scientific American, "Physicists Harness Twisted Mathematics to Make Powerful Laser," 5 Feb. 2018
Reid will talk about using cuttings for propagation and why this method is better than seeds.

— linda mcintosh, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Women generals topic of talk," 16 Mar. 2018
Cracking the propagation problem was a primary focus.

— paige embry, Scientific American, "A Promising Backup to the Honeybee Is Shut Down," 5 Mar. 2018

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