proliferate

verb

prə-ˈli-fə-ˌrāt How to pronounce proliferate (audio)
Definition of proliferatenext
as in to increase
to become greater in extent, volume, amount, or number rumors about the incident proliferated on the Internet

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of proliferate As election laws have proliferated and become more complicated, with early voting, for example, registrars have relied more on Thomas, a Norwalk Democrat in her first term, for direction. — Kevin Rennie, Hartford Courant, 1 Aug. 2026 At public meetings and in letters throughout 2023 and 2024, Medicaid insurers and actuaries warned that Beshear’s decision not to reinstate the spending guardrails sooner had allowed billing abuse by drug treatment providers to proliferate. — Alex Acquisto, ProPublica, 30 July 2026 Trump may be the poster child, but Big Players are proliferating across the globe. — Steve H. Hanke, Fortune, 27 July 2026 When the braids had five or more strands, however, the disk possibilities proliferated, guaranteeing the matrices were all unfaithful. — Lyndie Chiou, Scientific American, 24 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for proliferate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for proliferate
  1. increase
  2. rise
  3. accelerate
  4. expand
  5. swell
  6. multiply
  7. accumulate
Verb
  • Corporate America has dramatically increased investment in women's sports over the past several years as leagues such as the WNBA and the National Women's Soccer League continue posting record attendance and television ratings.
    — Tim Genske, Forbes.com, 8 Aug. 2026
  • Houthis’ allies The Houthis are backed by Iran, which began increasing its aid to the group in 2014 as the civil war escalated and as its rivalry with Saudi Arabia intensified.
    — Sophie Tanno, CNN Money, 8 Aug. 2026
Definition of increase
Verb
  • Eliminating the tax credit didn’t kill the EV market entirely, however, and EV sales in the US actually rose 15% from the first quarter to the second quarter of this year.
    — Michael Ballaban, CNN Money, 7 Aug. 2026
  • Exports of high-tech items surged nearly 41% in January-July from the same period the year before, while shipments of vehicles jumped 55% and overall exports of electronics and machinery rose 26%.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of rise
Verb
  • Despite their mass, the mammals do know how to accelerate in water and on land.
    — Dennis Romero, NBC news, 8 Aug. 2026
  • In 2020, scientists found that combining snail slime from a common garden snail with gold nanoparticles helped accelerate wound healing and exhibited anti-inflammatory properties in mice.
    — Jennifer Ouellette, ArsTechnica, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of accelerate
Verb
  • Start the conversation, suggest the class, or invite someone into a plan that expands the room.
    — Tarot.com, Sun Sentinel, 8 Aug. 2026
  • South Africa's utility, Eskom, plans to develop a 1-gigawatt solar manufacturing facility to capture more value from its fast-expanding solar market and respond to changing electricity demand.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 8 Aug. 2026
Definition of expand
Verb
  • If emotions swell midday, step outside and breathe until thoughts settle again.
    — Tarot.com, The Orlando Sentinel, 5 Aug. 2026
  • Instead, San Francisco’s wide receiver corps absorbed an early setback when swelling returned in the PCL of Pearsall’s right knee.
    — Chantz Martin, FOXNews.com, 5 Aug. 2026
Definition of swell
Verb
  • Despite his manic efforts to smash and spray them out of existence, the ever-multiplying cockroaches eventually overwhelm him.
    — Asim Ali, Time, 1 Aug. 2026
  • Signs that Americans are becoming increasingly wary of AI are multiplying.
    — Patrick J. Schena, Fortune, 31 July 2026
Definition of multiply
Verb
  • The holiday standard has accumulated 22 weeks in first place, though that total has been spread across seven years.
    — Hugh McIntyre, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2026
  • When the question is accumulated knowledge with years of safety and efficacy data, refined dosing, and better patient selection, sponsors are told that information doesn’t go the other way.
    — Kat Bryant Knudson, STAT, 31 July 2026
Definition of accumulate

Browse Nearby Words

proletariat
proliferate
proliferated
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Cite this Entry

“Proliferate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/proliferate. Accessed 9 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on proliferate

Nglish: Translation of proliferate for Spanish Speakers

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