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
Over the years, his connections proliferated, including a long stint as Orange County’s official attorney.
—
Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, The Orlando Sentinel, 28 Apr. 2026
The problem really proliferated during the start of the pandemic.
—Jacqueline Munis, Fortune, 28 Apr. 2026
Despite this, unfounded conspiracy theories from both the left and the right proliferated, chief among them that the shooting was staged.
—ABC News, 27 Apr. 2026
Steakhouses have proliferated across Miami-Dade County in recent years, but Cremasco believes there’s room for 1986 Steak House in the mix.
—Connie Ogle, Miami Herald, 24 Apr. 2026
Rails proliferated across Colorado during the late 19th century.
—Allen Best, Denver Post, 24 Apr. 2026
In the 21st century, venues for opinionated public affairs content have proliferated in all forms of media, even those traditionally reserved for objective news.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 23 Apr. 2026
The use of automatic license-plate readers from companies such as Flock have proliferated across American cities.
—Chase Hunter, Mercury News, 22 Apr. 2026
As generative audio models have proliferated, the rate of AI uploads to Deezer has reached a staggering 44 percent—that’s 75,000 new AI tracks on Deezer every single day.
—ArsTechnica, 20 Apr. 2026
Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, The Orlando Sentinel, 28 Apr. 2026
The problem really proliferated during the start of the pandemic.
—Jacqueline Munis, Fortune, 28 Apr. 2026
Despite this, unfounded conspiracy theories from both the left and the right proliferated, chief among them that the shooting was staged.
—ABC News, 27 Apr. 2026
Steakhouses have proliferated across Miami-Dade County in recent years, but Cremasco believes there’s room for 1986 Steak House in the mix.
—Connie Ogle, Miami Herald, 24 Apr. 2026
Rails proliferated across Colorado during the late 19th century.
—Allen Best, Denver Post, 24 Apr. 2026
In the 21st century, venues for opinionated public affairs content have proliferated in all forms of media, even those traditionally reserved for objective news.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 23 Apr. 2026
The use of automatic license-plate readers from companies such as Flock have proliferated across American cities.
—Chase Hunter, Mercury News, 22 Apr. 2026
As generative audio models have proliferated, the rate of AI uploads to Deezer has reached a staggering 44 percent—that’s 75,000 new AI tracks on Deezer every single day.
—ArsTechnica, 20 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for proliferated
Verb
-
Glas said many producers understandably believed that given the gap in IEEPA tariff rates between free-trade-agreement qualifying countries in the Western Hemisphere and those in Asia — which amounted by about 10 percentage points in most cases — sourcing from the Americas should have increased.—
Kate Nishimura,
Footwear News,
4 May 2026
-
European countries and Canada have increased defense spending and military recruitment efforts over the last year in response to Trump’s threats.—
Mark Carlson,
Los Angeles Times,
4 May 2026
Verb
-
With specialist Trevor Baptiste dominating in the faceoff circle, the Seals continued to control time of possession and the lead swelled to 8-2 in the third quarter when Toronto finally snapped a 36-minute scoring drought.—
Ivan Carter,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
4 May 2026
-
Over 6,000 attended, the crowd swelled by the glorious weather and the prospect of a full-day — more than seven hours — of cricket ahead.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
4 May 2026
Verb
-
And those efforts have only accelerated, especially since the debut of generative AI chatbots in 2022 and recent advances in agentic AI.—
Jeremy Kahn,
Fortune,
28 Apr. 2026
-
The three ports also have accelerated their alternative fuels bunkering capabilities over the past three years.—
Jennifer Bringle,
Footwear News,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Turner expanded that purchase into Turner Broadcasting System, or TBS, which included Turner Network Television, or TNT, and the groundbreaking 24-hour news channel Cable News Network, or CNN, which launched its nonstop news coverage in 1980.—
Bryan Alexander,
USA Today,
7 May 2026
-
Neto expanded and was able to put a ball into right field.—
LaMond Pope,
Chicago Tribune,
7 May 2026
Verb
-
And then Madison Square Garden rose to its feet.—
Kristian Winfield,
New York Daily News,
5 May 2026
-
Celebrate Mom with this bright bouquet filled with a mix of mini purple carnations, chamomile daisies, green button chrysanthemums, pink cushion chrysanthemums, and a yellow rose.—
Michele Laufik,
Martha Stewart,
4 May 2026
Verb
-
The result is more intense compute requirements multiplied by greater adoption, leading to an explosion in demand for chips, interconnect solutions between those chips, and the energy to power it all.—
Zev Fima,
CNBC,
6 May 2026
-
Reports of corruption in the military elite are frequent but have multiplied since the Ukraine invasion began.—
Nick Paton Walsh,
CNN Money,
4 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Proliferated.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/proliferated. Accessed 9 May. 2026.
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