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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Red meat likely increases blood pressure due to byproducts from chemical reactions that happen in the liver and gut.—
Sarah Bence,
Verywell Health,
15 Jan. 2026
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Being stuck in a state of fight-or-flight increases protective muscle tension, altering movement mechanics, limiting mobility, and increasing the likelihood of compensations that can lead to pain or injury.—
Dana Santas,
CNN Money,
14 Jan. 2026
Verb
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At Sainte-Chapelle, the ticket rises to 22 euros for visitors from outside those countries, versus 16 euros for those within them, according to heritage officials.—
Thomas Adamson,
Fortune,
14 Jan. 2026
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Marital discord rises amid the chaos of the holidays.—
Daniel de Visé,
USA Today,
14 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Adoption accelerates when employees feel ownership.—
Paul Eremenko,
Fortune,
14 Jan. 2026
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That visibility accelerates learning and increases the likelihood of detection and arrest.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
13 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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Additionally, the game features a multiplier for each play that multiplies non-jackpot prizes by up to 10 times.—
Desiree Anello,
PEOPLE,
15 Jan. 2026
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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
Cite this Entry
“Proliferates.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/proliferates. Accessed 17 Jan. 2026.
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