metastasize

[ muh-tas-tuh-sahyz ]
See synonyms for: metastasizemetastasizedmetastasizesmetastasizing on Thesaurus.com

verb (used without object),me·tas·ta·sized, me·tas·ta·siz·ing.
  1. Pathology. (of malignant cells or disease-producing organisms) to spread to other parts of the body by way of the blood or lymphatic vessels or membranous surfaces.

  2. to spread injuriously: Street gangs have metastasized in our city.

  1. to transform, especially into a dangerous form: The KGB metastasized after the fall of the Soviet Union. Truth metastasized into lurid fantasy.

Origin of metastasize

1
First recorded in 1905–10; metastas(is) + -ize
  • Also especially British, me·tas·ta·sise .

Words Nearby metastasize

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use metastasize in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for metastasize

metastasize

metastasise

/ (mɪˈtæstəˌsaɪz) /


verb(intr)
  1. pathol (esp of cancer cells) to spread to a new site in the body via blood or lymph vessels

  2. (of a problem) to deteriorate or spread into new areas

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012