as in increases
to become greater in extent, volume, amount, or number
rumors about the incident proliferated on the Internet
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Recent Examples of proliferates
This type of scam proliferates around the holidays, when consumers make more online purchases and shippers deal with higher-than-normal volumes of packages, Visa notes.
—
Megan Cerullo, CBS News, 20 Nov. 2025
Backed by Celebrands — the firm also behind Halsey’s About-face color line — ‘Ôrebella has quickly established itself among the standout celebrity beauty brands of its time as the category proliferates.
—Noor Lobad, Footwear News, 7 Nov. 2025
As violence in schools proliferates in the United States, so too has the marketplace for products designed to protect students.
—Tonya Simpson, ABC News, 24 Sep. 2025
Misinformation proliferates both online and off.
—Stacie Kershner, The Conversation, 22 Sep. 2025
Vibrio proliferates during heavy rains and floods.
—Andrea Tamayo, Scientific American, 15 Aug. 2025
An international survey of over 49,000 developers found that a lack of trust is growing in AI tools even as the use of these tools proliferates in the development process.
—John Kell, Fortune, 13 Aug. 2025
Megan Cerullo, CBS News, 20 Nov. 2025
Backed by Celebrands — the firm also behind Halsey’s About-face color line — ‘Ôrebella has quickly established itself among the standout celebrity beauty brands of its time as the category proliferates.
—Noor Lobad, Footwear News, 7 Nov. 2025
As violence in schools proliferates in the United States, so too has the marketplace for products designed to protect students.
—Tonya Simpson, ABC News, 24 Sep. 2025
Misinformation proliferates both online and off.
—Stacie Kershner, The Conversation, 22 Sep. 2025
Vibrio proliferates during heavy rains and floods.
—Andrea Tamayo, Scientific American, 15 Aug. 2025
An international survey of over 49,000 developers found that a lack of trust is growing in AI tools even as the use of these tools proliferates in the development process.
—John Kell, Fortune, 13 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for proliferates
Verb
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But there are several notable categories where the quality increases with cost, and one of those is noise-canceling headphones.—
Maggie Slepian,
Travel + Leisure,
10 Jan. 2026
-
Pushing frozen branches upright quickly increases the chances of breakage.—
Megan Hughes,
Better Homes & Gardens,
10 Jan. 2026
Verb
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When wet clothes are placed near exterior walls—which are much colder than interior walls in the winter—moisture rises to the cold surface, creating the perfect conditions for trapping moisture and causing mold growth.—
Stephanie Osmanski,
Better Homes & Gardens,
10 Jan. 2026
-
During this season, sap rises to the top of the tree.—
Lee Wallender,
The Spruce,
10 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The Honda accelerates, colliding with two parked vehicles and a light post.—
Devon Lum,
Twin Cities,
8 Jan. 2026
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The nation’s siloed and shrinking media environment accelerates this trend.—
Brandon Rottinghaus,
Washington Post,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The discussion comes as driverless robotaxi testing and deployment expands rapidly nationwide, with Austin as a major launching pad.—
Karoline Leonard,
Austin American Statesman,
12 Jan. 2026
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Cotie McMahon expands her range As her former program finds its footing without her, Cotie McMahon is showing a different part of her game than existed at Ohio State.—
Sabreena Merchant,
New York Times,
12 Jan. 2026
Verb
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While the number of retirees swells, the pool of workers funding the social safety net — and caring for the aging population — is narrowing.—
Eva Roytburg,
Fortune,
7 Jan. 2026
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There's a sort of a natural world religiousness or spirituality or philosophy that swells around a lot of things and different characters.—
Rebecca Ford,
Vanity Fair,
6 Jan. 2026
Verb
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From a security perspective, connecting models to tools and stacking agents together multiplies risks that are already unresolved in standalone large language models.—
Thomas Şerban von Davier,
The Conversation,
29 Dec. 2025
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The impact is calmer rooms, faster calls, fewer regrets and teams that adopt the protocol, which multiplies calm.—
Rolling Stone Culture Council,
Rolling Stone,
17 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Proliferates.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/proliferates. Accessed 14 Jan. 2026.
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