propagate

verb

prop·​a·​gate ˈprä-pə-ˌgāt How to pronounce propagate (audio)
propagated; propagating

transitive verb

1
: to cause to continue or increase by sexual or asexual reproduction
2
: to pass along to offspring
3
a
: to cause to spread out and affect a greater number or greater area : extend
b
: to foster growing knowledge of, familiarity with, or acceptance of (something, such as an idea or belief) : publicize
c
: to transmit (something, such as sound or light) through a medium

intransitive verb

1
: to multiply sexually or asexually
2
3
: to travel through space or a material
used of wave energy (such as light, sound, or radio waves)
propagative adjective
propagator noun

Did you know?

The origins of propagate are firmly rooted in the field of horticulture. The word is a 16th century Latin borrowing, ultimately from the verb propagare, which means "to set (onto a plant) a small shoot or twig cut for planting or grafting." The word's meaning quickly extended from the realm of the farm and field to less material kinds of reproduction, such as the spreading of ideas and beliefs. The similarity between propagate and propaganda is not coincidental; that word also comes to us from propagare, although it took a more circuitous route.

Examples of propagate in a Sentence

We are discovering new ways to propagate plants without seeds. He propagated the apple tree by grafting. The plants failed to propagate.
Recent Examples on the Web These grasses take advantage of rare bursts of rain to propagate, then die, forming a carpet of fire fuel on the desert floor. Cnn.com Wire Service, The Mercury News, 21 Mar. 2024 But some researchers would prefer to see the species propagate naturally, expressing concern that wolverines will die during the reintroduction process, while there’s no guarantee of success. Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 11 Mar. 2024 Companies have more or less figured out the first step, taking a sample of cells from a live animal or egg and propagating them in a tank filled with a nutrient-rich broth. Yasmin Tayag, The Atlantic, 8 Mar. 2024 Where were the communities that were that were actually propagating this? Fortune Editors, Fortune, 14 Feb. 2024 Often, such communications are also propagated via emails. Dipak Kulkarni, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2024 Several Republicans interviewed at recent presidential campaign stops repeated a decade-old, anti-transgender falsehood about Ms. Obama propagated by the disgraced conspiracy theorist Alex Jones. Ken Bensinger, New York Times, 19 Jan. 2024 Since Connecticut River hydrilla is believed to propagate when fragments sink and form new plants, the weed is expected to return in even greater force next summer. Edmund H. Mahony, Hartford Courant, 1 Jan. 2024 Despite social media’s propensity to propagate hate, the other side of the proverbial coin is that social media—staying true to its name—has immense power to bring people together and build community. Steven Aquino, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'propagate.' 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

Latin propagatus, past participle of propagare to set slips, propagate, from propages slip, offspring, from pro- before + pangere to fasten — more at pro-, pact

First Known Use

1535, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of propagate was in 1535

Podcast

Dictionary Entries Near propagate

Cite this Entry

“Propagate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/propagate. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

propagate

verb
prop·​a·​gate ˈpräp-ə-ˌgāt How to pronounce propagate (audio)
propagated; propagating
1
: to have or cause to have offspring : multiply sense 1
ways to propagate plants without seeds
propagate an apple by grafting
2
: to cause (as an idea or belief) to spread out and affect a greater number or wider area
propagate a faith

Medical Definition

propagate

verb
prop·​a·​gate ˈpräp-ə-ˌgāt How to pronounce propagate (audio)
propagated; propagating

transitive verb

1
: to cause to continue or increase by sexual or asexual reproduction
2
: to cause to spread or to be transmitted

intransitive verb

: to multiply sexually or asexually
propagable adjective
propagative adjective

More from Merriam-Webster on propagate

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