as in to increase
to become greater in extent, volume, amount, or number
rumors about the incident proliferated on the Internet
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Recent Examples of proliferate
Self-tanning lotions, spray tans, and bronzers proliferated, but people still sought the real thing.
—
Yasmin Tayag, The Atlantic, 19 July 2025
Online university programs have grown by the hundreds since 2011, when the Education Department released guidelines that allowed revenue sharing among universities and third-party course providers to proliferate, prompting backlash and scrutiny.
—Los Angeles Times, 8 July 2025
These feral insects, which have greatly proliferated in Southern California, remove about 80 percent of pollen during the first day a flower opens, according to the study, published Monday in Insect Conservation and Diversity.
—Sharon Udasin, The Hill, 7 July 2025
While these tools can help employers screen more job candidates and help identify relevant experience, human resources and legal experts warn improper training and implementation of hiring technologies can proliferate biases.
—Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 5 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for proliferate
Yasmin Tayag, The Atlantic, 19 July 2025
Online university programs have grown by the hundreds since 2011, when the Education Department released guidelines that allowed revenue sharing among universities and third-party course providers to proliferate, prompting backlash and scrutiny.
—Los Angeles Times, 8 July 2025
These feral insects, which have greatly proliferated in Southern California, remove about 80 percent of pollen during the first day a flower opens, according to the study, published Monday in Insect Conservation and Diversity.
—Sharon Udasin, The Hill, 7 July 2025
While these tools can help employers screen more job candidates and help identify relevant experience, human resources and legal experts warn improper training and implementation of hiring technologies can proliferate biases.
—Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 5 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for proliferate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for proliferate
Verb
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Trump also targeted Walmart after the retailer warned its prices would increase to absorb the cost of his tariffs.—
Ty Roush,
Forbes.com,
6 Aug. 2025
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FEMco is dedicated to creating opportunities for female artists to increase their visibility and reach via events, sponsorships and more.—
Jem Aswad,
Variety,
6 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Of course, this gives rise to some very important questions: What are the implications for privacy when so many of us are ready to share our deepest thoughts with AI companies?—
Bernard Marr,
Forbes.com,
15 Aug. 2025
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The reduction came as rents in Chicago keep rising and after the state grappled with serious fiscal challenges when balancing its budget this year, issues exacerbated by a federal government focused on axing spending.—
Lizzie Kane,
Chicago Tribune,
15 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Toucan’s carbon pool grew 400% in 2024 as institutional ESG demand accelerated.—
Sean Lee,
Forbes.com,
14 Aug. 2025
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The public fight between medicine and government is now accelerating the nation onto a path where advice diverges over not just COVID shots but vaccines generally.—
Katherine J. Wu,
The Atlantic,
13 Aug. 2025
Verb
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The Visual Media & Platform division, which includes anime and mobile content in Japan, also expanded.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
7 Aug. 2025
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The agreement, the biggest of its kind in the countries’ history, involves the sale of 11 stealth frigates able to launch long-range missiles, significantly expanding Australia’s maritime defense capabilities.—
Liz Hoffman,
semafor.com,
7 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Losses over $100,000 swell 700% Losses among those older adults who lost at least $100,000 have swelled to $445 million in 2024 from $55 million in 2020, according to the FTC.—
Greg Iacurci,
CNBC,
8 Aug. 2025
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Wound infections typically come with fever, redness, pain, swelling, discharge and discoloration.—
Mary Whitfill Roeloffs,
Forbes.com,
8 Aug. 2025
Verb
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This bacteria was found to be multiplying in, guess what, the cooling tower of the hotel’s air conditioning system.—
Bruce Y. Lee,
Forbes.com,
6 Aug. 2025
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Lawn signs promoting candidates seemed to multiply overnight ahead of Election Day in Detroit as mayoral hopefuls made their last-minute attempts to lure voters to the polls to support them as the race was narrowed from nine candidates to two.—
Aurora Sousanis,
Freep.com,
6 Aug. 2025
Verb
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These unexplored altitudes are also where satellites burn up during their reentries and where the air pollution produced during their incineration accumulates.—
Tereza Pultarova,
Space.com,
16 Aug. 2025
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Better cognitive function: Research has shown that sleeping on your side helps the body clear brain waste that accumulates in the central nervous system.—
BestReviews,
Mercury News,
15 Aug. 2025
Verb
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This stuff is a powerful oxidizer that, while not flammable by itself, will accelerate and intensify combustion of rubber balloons, clothing, hair, skin, eye tissue and other things that burn when used around open flames such as bongs, joints, and cigarettes.—
DP Opinion,
Denver Post,
13 Aug. 2025
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While Iran frames its warnings as a measure to deter future attacks, the U.S. and its allies view Iran's intensifying rhetoric as likely to heighten regional tensions.—
Amir Daftari,
MSNBC Newsweek,
13 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Proliferate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/proliferate. Accessed 20 Aug. 2025.
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