proliferate

[ pruh-lif-uh-reyt ]

verb (used with or without object)

, pro·lif·er·at·ed, pro·lif·er·at·ing.

1. to grow or produce by multiplication of parts, as in budding or cell division, or by procreation.
2. to increase in number or spread rapidly and often excessively.

proliferate

/ prəˈlɪfəˌreɪt /

verb

1. to grow or reproduce (new parts, cells, etc) rapidly
2. to grow or increase or cause to grow or increase rapidly

Derived Forms

• proˈliferative, adjective

Other Words From

• pro·lifer·ative adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of proliferate¹

First recorded in 1870–75; prolifer(ous) + -ate ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of proliferate¹

C19: from Medieval Latin prōlifer having offspring, from Latin prōlēs offspring + ferre to bear

Example Sentences

The challenge is evaluating the implications of the ones that do proliferate.

From Quartz

As variants have proliferated in Europe, some countries that had kept their schools open through the worst of the pandemic are now closing them.

From Washington Post

Caused by the salmonella bacteria, the disease has proliferated across the Northwest from British Columbia down to Northern California.

From Washington Post

That the Chagos Archipelago is so remote and well-protected—commercial fishing is banned there—may also help these underwater cultures evolve and proliferate, Bayley said.

From Nautilus

AP tests, which are longer and include free-response questions, have proliferated in recent years.

From Washington Post

Then build a business model and systems that allow that technology to proliferate.

From The Daily Beast

But when whole careers are now staked on micro-sized melodies and formulaic rhythms, the lawsuits are bound to proliferate.

From The Daily Beast

People with great photography skills can all of a sudden proliferate their images.

From The Daily Beast

Meanwhile, though, explanations for his absence—ranging from plausible to wild and wacky—continue to proliferate.

From The Daily Beast

Yet in a world where content has and continues to proliferate, what edge does Yahoo have?

From The Daily Beast

The cells of this hypertrophied portion show a great tendency to proliferate and produce new nerve structure.

From Project Gutenberg

What is the nature of the "life" in the parasitic sarcomatous tissue which has been seen to proliferate for a short time in vitro?

From Project Gutenberg

Free zones, off shore havens, off shore banking and transhipment ports proliferate, from Macedonia to Archangelsk.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• breed
• burgeon
• escalate
• generate
• multiply
• mushroom
• propagate
• reproduce
• snowball