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
The new product enters a crowded market for towable camera rigs, which have proliferated outside big box stores, strip malls and construction sites since the pandemic.
—
Bloomberg, Mercury News, 6 Jan. 2026
Dials and buttons have really proliferated since then.
—Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 5 Jan. 2026
Recruitment ads have proliferated across TV, radio, print and podcasts directing viewers to an ICE hiring website that portrays immigration as an existential threat.
—Arkansas Online, 1 Jan. 2026
Knowledge of Shaker craft proliferated through a network of mentorship, bringing wider-scale adoption of the communities’ forms.
—Lila Allen, Architectural Digest, 26 Dec. 2025
Companies such as Gamefam connect native Roblox games and their creators with brands, reminiscent of the multi-channel networks (MCNs) that proliferated YouTube in the early 2010s and signed video makers to content partnerships.
—Dan Bernstein, Sportico.com, 22 Dec. 2025
Movie theater attendance has declined in recent years as streaming services have proliferated and Americans have scaled back on discretionary spending.
—Auzinea Bacon, CNN Money, 21 Dec. 2025
In recent years, as alternative sources of medical authority have proliferated, some doctors have grown frustrated with how their jobs have changed.
—Dhruv Khullar, New Yorker, 19 Dec. 2025
Even as conventional treatments for autoimmune diseases have become more effective than ever, alternative treatments, including nutritional supplements, breathing exercises, hyperbaric oxygen chambers, and cold plunges in frigid water, have proliferated.
—Jason Liebowitz, The Atlantic, 4 Nov. 2025
Bloomberg, Mercury News, 6 Jan. 2026
Dials and buttons have really proliferated since then.
—Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 5 Jan. 2026
Recruitment ads have proliferated across TV, radio, print and podcasts directing viewers to an ICE hiring website that portrays immigration as an existential threat.
—Arkansas Online, 1 Jan. 2026
Knowledge of Shaker craft proliferated through a network of mentorship, bringing wider-scale adoption of the communities’ forms.
—Lila Allen, Architectural Digest, 26 Dec. 2025
Companies such as Gamefam connect native Roblox games and their creators with brands, reminiscent of the multi-channel networks (MCNs) that proliferated YouTube in the early 2010s and signed video makers to content partnerships.
—Dan Bernstein, Sportico.com, 22 Dec. 2025
Movie theater attendance has declined in recent years as streaming services have proliferated and Americans have scaled back on discretionary spending.
—Auzinea Bacon, CNN Money, 21 Dec. 2025
In recent years, as alternative sources of medical authority have proliferated, some doctors have grown frustrated with how their jobs have changed.
—Dhruv Khullar, New Yorker, 19 Dec. 2025
Even as conventional treatments for autoimmune diseases have become more effective than ever, alternative treatments, including nutritional supplements, breathing exercises, hyperbaric oxygen chambers, and cold plunges in frigid water, have proliferated.
—Jason Liebowitz, The Atlantic, 4 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for proliferated
Verb
-
The Wolverines increased their lead to 42 with less than a minute left in the fourth.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
9 Jan. 2026
-
And while famine has not yet emerged, food insecurity has increased, with most Cubans eating a limited diet and skipping meals.—
Joseph J. Gonzalez,
Fortune,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
As Wikipedia’s editor ranks swelled, the site codified guidelines such as prioritizing neutrality and flagging unsupported claims for removal, Ramjohn says.—
Meghan Bartels,
Scientific American,
15 Jan. 2026
-
OpenAI has raised billions of dollars from venture capitalists, and its valuation has swelled to $500 billion.—
Ashley Capoot,Kate Rooney,
CNBC,
15 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
In 1979, critical military defections accelerated the fall of the monarchy.—
Narges Bajoghli,
Time,
13 Jan. 2026
-
The race to commercialize perovskite technology has accelerated rapidly in recent years.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
12 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The popular chicken restaurant has been in operation for more than 70 years and expanded to eight different states, but it is still recognized as a Chicago staple.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
15 Jan. 2026
-
The restaurant group, which includes a large catering operation, has steadily expanded over the years, boasting eight other locations in San Diego and Orange counties, including its flagship restaurant, the more than16-year-old Cucina Urbana in Bankers Hill.—
Lori Weisberg,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
15 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Rizzi even rose to associate head coach for two years prior to leaving the Dolphins after the 2018 season.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
9 Jan. 2026
-
Additionally, the December survey showed that respondents’ expectations of losing their job rose to the highest mean probability since April 2025, while the probability of those voluntarily quitting dropped to the lowest rate since July 2023.—
Alicia Wallace,
CNN Money,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
As the negative press multiplied daily, Tapia and Toviggino avoided comment.—
Felipe Cardenas,
New York Times,
13 Jan. 2026
-
That trickiness is multiplied when a seemingly nebulous dress code—like semi-formal or cocktail attire—comes into play.—
Amber Rambharose,
InStyle,
11 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Proliferated.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/proliferated. Accessed 18 Jan. 2026.
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