diversify

American  

[dih-vur-suh-fahy, dahy-] / dɪˈvɜr səˌfaɪ, daɪ- /

verb (used with object)

diversifies, present (3rd person singular) diversified, past participle, past diversifying present participle

1. to make diverse, as in form or character; give variety or diversity to; variegate.

2. to invest in different types of (securities, industries, etc.).

3. to produce different types of (manufactured products, crops, etc.).

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verb (used without object)

diversifies, present (3rd person singular) diversified, past participle, past diversifying present participle

1. to invest in different types of industries, securities, etc.

2. to add different types of manufactured products, crops, etc., especially to a business.

diversify British  

/ daɪˈvɜːsɪˌfaɪ /

verb

1. (tr) to create different forms of; variegate; vary

2. (of an enterprise) to vary (products, operations, etc) in order to spread risk, expand, etc

3. to distribute (investments) among several securities in order to spread risk

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• diversifiability
  noun
• diversifier
  noun
• undiversifying
  noun
• overdiversify
  verb
• diversifiable
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• diversifying
  present
• diversified
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• diversify
  simple
• diversifies
  simple
• have diversified
  perfect
• has diversified
  perfect
• are diversifying
  progressive
• am diversifying
  progressive
• is diversifying
  progressive
• have been diversifying
  perfect progressive
• has been diversifying
  perfect progressive

Past

• diversified
  simple
• had diversified
  perfect
• was diversifying
  progressive
• were diversifying
  progressive
• had been diversifying
  perfect progressive

Future

• will diversify
  simple
• will have diversified
  perfect
• will be diversifying
  progressive
• will have been diversifying
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of diversify

1400–50; late Middle English < Anglo-French diversifier < Medieval Latin dīversificāre, equivalent to Latin dīvers ( us ) diverse + -ificāre -ify

Explanation

Diversify means to vary in type. It's often used to discuss risk in financial activities. You might diversify your investments by spreading your wealth among different types of stocks. You may have noticed that diversify looks like the word diverse, an adjective that describes showing variety and difference. If you want to diversify your interests, that means you want to mix it up and do more than just play Dungeons and Dragons all the time — you might become active in sports, theater, and the math club. Diversify can also describe expanding into new areas. A company might diversify by sending its sales force into Asia and Latin America.

Example Sentences

His advice: Diversify fixed-income portfolios across geographies and asset classes to reduce risk while benefiting from higher yields.

From Barron's • Jun. 12, 2026

Diversify your investments with both U.S. and international blue-chip stocks.

From MarketWatch • Oct. 14, 2025

The bank failed to follow basic financial advice: Diversify your portfolio.

From New York Times • Mar. 14, 2023

Diversify the conversation in the media, giving space to environmental crises other than climate change that are less likely to benefit from linear, technological solutions that fit within our current economic frameworks.

From Scientific American • Jun. 30, 2022

Diversify his pleasures, procure for him the charm of variety in the same object, and I will vouch for his perseverance in fidelity.

From Life, Letters, and Epicurean Philosophy of Ninon de L'Enclos The Celebrated Beauty of the Seventeenth Century by Overton, William Hassell

Related Words

• expand
• transform