proliferate

[ pruh-lif-uh-reyt ]
See synonyms for proliferate on Thesaurus.com
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.

Origin of proliferate

1
First recorded in 1870–75; prolifer(ous) + -ate1

Other words from proliferate

  • pro·lif·er·a·tive, adjective

Words Nearby proliferate

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

How to use proliferate in a sentence

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

    Diseases of the Horse's Foot | Harry Caulton Reeks
  • What is the nature of the "life" in the parasitic sarcomatous tissue which has been seen to proliferate for a short time in vitro?

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

    After the Rain | Sam Vaknin

British Dictionary definitions for proliferate

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

Origin of proliferate

1
C19: from Medieval Latin prōlifer having offspring, from Latin prōlēs offspring + ferre to bear

Derived forms of proliferate

  • proliferative, adjective

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