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pullulate

verb

ˈpəl-yə-ˌlāt How to pronounce pullulate (audio)
Definition of pullulatenext
as in to burst
to be copiously supplied a tough city neighborhood that has a reputation for pullulating with prostitutes and petty criminals

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for pullulate
  1. burst
  2. buzz
  3. bulge
Verb
  • Bake for 25 minutes, until the tomatoes have burst and the gnocchi have a slight crisp.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 24 Sep. 2026
  • After dealing only in renderings the last time around, the real, live Nugget Schmiede roof burst to life at the recent Düsseldorf Caravan Salon.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of burst
Verb
  • Some frontrunners generated buzz after premieres at Venice, Telluride, and Toronto, while other earlier festival entries survived the stress test of a reassessment months after their debuts at Cannes or Sundance.
    — Marcus Jones, IndieWire, 20 Sep. 2026
  • With most parents decked out in the school’s signature green, Providence’s fan section was buzzing during the first quarter.
    — Lila Hempel-Edgers, Chicago Tribune, 19 Sep. 2026
Definition of buzz
Verb
  • Her bulging eyes, her piercing shrieks, her casual yet immaculately articulate cruelty all come together to form a cartoonish villain who’s also a commanding delight.
    — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 18 Sep. 2026
  • This duality isn’t immediately obvious in the woman who greets me at her door in New York City with a bulging plastic bag of breakfast food and a wide, open smile.
    — CT Jones, Rolling Stone, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of bulge
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

pull together
pullulate
pullulated
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Cite this Entry

“Pullulate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pullulate. Accessed 25 Sep. 2026.

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