as in increased
to become greater in extent, volume, amount, or number
rumors about the incident proliferated on the Internet
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Recent Examples of proliferated
But as technology evolved and proliferated, privacy laws repeatedly fell short in protecting California’s students — at the same time that the federal government has tried to collect increasing amounts of personal information, Addis said.
—
Adam Echelman, Los Angeles Times, 22 Feb. 2026
These kinds of bans have proliferated.
—Elizabeth Weise, USA Today, 21 Feb. 2026
Charters proliferated in Chicago in the 2000s under then-Mayor Richard Daley, who championed the model as a vehicle for education reform and expanded school choice.
—Kate Armanini, Chicago Tribune, 21 Feb. 2026
South Dakota’s biggest data center consumes 30 megawatts, and the state has none of the vastly larger data centers that have proliferated elsewhere.
—Makenzie Huber, States Newsroom, 19 Feb. 2026
After Congress legalized hemp in 2018, Wisconsin never passed state laws regulating the avalanche of products that quickly proliferated in gas stations and smoke shops.
—Gina Lee Castro, jsonline.com, 19 Feb. 2026
The birds proliferated during the COVID-19 pandemic.
—ABC News, 19 Feb. 2026
The image that had proliferated on social media was now part of the legal record.
—Alessandra Schade, Time, 14 Feb. 2026
Myriad small-scale efforts of mutual aid and support have proliferated.
—Harry Boyte, Twin Cities, 8 Feb. 2026
Adam Echelman, Los Angeles Times, 22 Feb. 2026
These kinds of bans have proliferated.
—Elizabeth Weise, USA Today, 21 Feb. 2026
Charters proliferated in Chicago in the 2000s under then-Mayor Richard Daley, who championed the model as a vehicle for education reform and expanded school choice.
—Kate Armanini, Chicago Tribune, 21 Feb. 2026
South Dakota’s biggest data center consumes 30 megawatts, and the state has none of the vastly larger data centers that have proliferated elsewhere.
—Makenzie Huber, States Newsroom, 19 Feb. 2026
After Congress legalized hemp in 2018, Wisconsin never passed state laws regulating the avalanche of products that quickly proliferated in gas stations and smoke shops.
—Gina Lee Castro, jsonline.com, 19 Feb. 2026
The birds proliferated during the COVID-19 pandemic.
—ABC News, 19 Feb. 2026
The image that had proliferated on social media was now part of the legal record.
—Alessandra Schade, Time, 14 Feb. 2026
Myriad small-scale efforts of mutual aid and support have proliferated.
—Harry Boyte, Twin Cities, 8 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for proliferated
Verb
-
In addition, there will be increased Tactical Marine Unit and Aircraft Operations Division operations along the border to detect and apprehend criminals, according to the governor’s office.—
Kathryn Palmer,
USA Today,
24 Feb. 2026
-
The number of serious attacks increased from 54 in 2023 to 83 in 2024 and 128 in 2025.—
AREF TUFAHA,
Arkansas Online,
24 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Many of the companies that are cutting hordes of jobs – and blaming it on AI – had swelled in size during the pandemic years, when tech companies were meeting demand for online services.—
Ramishah Maruf,
CNN Money,
26 Feb. 2026
-
Late in the second quarter the lead swelled to 34-18.—
Don Norcross,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
25 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
As officers approached, police said the driver accelerated and fled on city streets, leading to a pursuit in which the driver failed to stop at stop signs, drove the wrong way and passed vehicles on the shoulder.—
Tim Fang,
CBS News,
24 Feb. 2026
-
The partners sold more than 7 million Ray-Ban and Oakley AI frames in 2025 — a pace that accelerated with new models introduced in the second half.—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
24 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
And because everything must be swept up, co-opted and expanded upon by AI, the repeating of the offensive word wasn’t just confined to the BBC’s airing of the award show.—
Lorraine Ali,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Feb. 2026
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Working with Planning and Economic Development, the council has adjusted and expanded eligibility guidelines.—
Frederick Melo,
Twin Cities,
26 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Global private credit fundraising rose in 2025 , although the pace of growth slowed from the previous year.—
Lee Ying Shan,
CNBC,
24 Feb. 2026
-
Hendrick’s has been something of an outlier in the gin category since it was founded more than 25 years ago—a Scottish gin that was built around two specific botanicals, rose and cucumber, something that was pretty unusual at the time.—
Jonah Flicker,
Robb Report,
23 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The questions multiplied, each driven by the same instinct to protect and survive.—
Adrianne Wright,
Fortune,
11 Feb. 2026
-
Barclays estimates that after only four years of ownership, L’Oréal has already multiplied Prada Fragrances by five times to more than 500 million in revenues at the end of 2024.—
Miles Socha,
Footwear News,
11 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Proliferated.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/proliferated. Accessed 28 Feb. 2026.
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