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
Eclipse Planning Resources Since 2017, online resources for eclipse planners have proliferated.
—
Maya Silver, Outside, 21 Oct. 2025
Although many Americans are only just beginning to take notice, indoor climbing gyms have steadily proliferated ever since.
—Kelli María Korducki, HubSpot, 17 Oct. 2025
Dot-com pioneer eBay, which sold its first item (a broken laser pointer) months after Amazon shipped its first book, has lost ground as the competition in e-commerce has proliferated since then.
—Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson, semafor.com, 10 Oct. 2025
Murphy has studied early rodeo photography, too, particularly the souvenir postcards that proliferated after the Wild West shows died out and things like Cheyenne Frontier Days and the Pendleton Round-Up took over.
—Casey Cep, New Yorker, 6 Oct. 2025
Thus, as Washington began testing the limits of legality at Guantánamo through immigrant detention, lawsuits proliferated.
—Miriam Pensack, The Dial, 30 Sep. 2025
And though the practice may be strongly associated with our friends across the pond, afternoon tea has proliferated quite strongly throughout the good ol’ Big Apple.
—Nicole Hoey, Robb Report, 26 Sep. 2025
And slang used to denigrate women—such as bop or for the streets—has proliferated.
—Molly Langmuir, The Atlantic, 25 Sep. 2025
Drug trafficking, wildlife crime, the unregulated migration of workers from Myanmar and other neighboring countries, and cyber-scams have proliferated in these areas.
—Susannah Patton, Foreign Affairs, 25 Sep. 2025
Maya Silver, Outside, 21 Oct. 2025
Although many Americans are only just beginning to take notice, indoor climbing gyms have steadily proliferated ever since.
—Kelli María Korducki, HubSpot, 17 Oct. 2025
Dot-com pioneer eBay, which sold its first item (a broken laser pointer) months after Amazon shipped its first book, has lost ground as the competition in e-commerce has proliferated since then.
—Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson, semafor.com, 10 Oct. 2025
Murphy has studied early rodeo photography, too, particularly the souvenir postcards that proliferated after the Wild West shows died out and things like Cheyenne Frontier Days and the Pendleton Round-Up took over.
—Casey Cep, New Yorker, 6 Oct. 2025
Thus, as Washington began testing the limits of legality at Guantánamo through immigrant detention, lawsuits proliferated.
—Miriam Pensack, The Dial, 30 Sep. 2025
And though the practice may be strongly associated with our friends across the pond, afternoon tea has proliferated quite strongly throughout the good ol’ Big Apple.
—Nicole Hoey, Robb Report, 26 Sep. 2025
And slang used to denigrate women—such as bop or for the streets—has proliferated.
—Molly Langmuir, The Atlantic, 25 Sep. 2025
Drug trafficking, wildlife crime, the unregulated migration of workers from Myanmar and other neighboring countries, and cyber-scams have proliferated in these areas.
—Susannah Patton, Foreign Affairs, 25 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for proliferated
Verb
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In a survey from brokerage firm Evercore ISI conducted last year, ChatGPT respondents saying ChatGPT was their top search provider increased to 5% from 1% four months prior.—
Beatrice Nolan,
Fortune,
22 Oct. 2025
-
Warming trends delay first freeze in US Fall days that are unusually warm have increased in 238 cities, or 98% of the 243 cities that were examined by Climate Central.—
Janet Loehrke,
USA Today,
22 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Europe has been hungry for a homegrown alternative to Starlink, which dominates the sector — the service has been vital to Ukrainian troops in the war against Russia, and fears of a possible shutdown accelerated Europe’s space ambitions.—
J.D. Capelouto,
semafor.com,
26 Oct. 2025
-
His extraordinary rise has only accelerated over the past 12 months.—
Laia Cervelló Herrero,
New York Times,
26 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Enthusiasm for the sport swelled when Lake Placid hosted the 1932 Olympic Games, and under the New Deal, the Civilian Conservation Core helped supercharge the development of New York’s trails and infrastructure.—
Lydia Price,
Travel + Leisure,
23 Oct. 2025
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China’s medium-range missile arsenal has swelled from 600 a few years ago to 1,300 today, more than enough to decimate American bases in Japan, South Korea, and the Philippines.—
Charlie Campbell,
Time,
23 Oct. 2025
Verb
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While oral arguments are typically constrained to an hour—30 minutes for each side—the high court on Thursday ordered that the hearings will be expanded to 80 minutes.—
Kate Nishimura,
Sourcing Journal,
24 Oct. 2025
-
Acquisitions and investments have expanded BHP’s copper operations by nearly 30% in three years and set it up to become one of the world’s largest producers of potash.—
Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson,
semafor.com,
24 Oct. 2025
Verb
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In August, car insurance rose by the smallest annual rate in three years – but that still amounted to a hefty near-5% jump, well above the overall inflation rate.—
Matt Egan,
CNN Money,
22 Oct. 2025
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New Jerseyans’ electricity rates rose roughly 20% at the start of June as a result of price-setting capacity auctions—the market where power producers are paid to guarantee future supply.—
Sharon Goldman,
Fortune,
22 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Her ticket matched four white balls in the drawing, winning her a $50,000 prize that was multiplied to $100,000 because of the Power Play option.—
Tanya Wildt,
Freep.com,
22 Oct. 2025
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The Pew analysis uses the refined divorce rate, which is the number of divorces divided by the number of married women ages 15 and older, multiplied by 1,000, rather than the overall divorce rate, which measures divorces per 1,000 women regardless of their marital status.—
Khaleda Rahman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
21 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Proliferated.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/proliferated. Accessed 28 Oct. 2025.
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