diversify
Americanverb (used with object)
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to make diverse, as in form or character; give variety or diversity to; variegate.
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to invest in different types of (securities, industries, etc.).
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to produce different types of (manufactured products, crops, etc.).
verb (used without object)
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to invest in different types of industries, securities, etc.
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to add different types of manufactured products, crops, etc., especially to a business.
verb
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(tr) to create different forms of; variegate; vary
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(of an enterprise) to vary (products, operations, etc) in order to spread risk, expand, etc
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to distribute (investments) among several securities in order to spread risk
Other Word Forms
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.
Vocabulary lists containing diversify
30 GRE Words Beginning with "D"
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This Week in Words: August 18 - 24, 2018
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Warriors Don't Cry (Abridged)
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Watt stepped down as chief executive of the company in 2024 and later apologised to staff and investors for the "many mistakes" made, admitting the company tried to diversify too quickly.
From BBC • May 23, 2026
His optimism hinges on the biotech deploying its roughly $18.5 billion cash balance to diversify its pipeline beyond Dupixent and Eylea, two drugs that account for the lion’s share of revenue.
From Barron's • May 18, 2026
That partly reflects the region’s efforts to develop renewable energy sources and diversify its gas imports in recent years.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 17, 2026
India is now focusing on rapid expansion in solar and wind to diversify its energy supply and reduce its dependence on Middle Eastern oil.
From Salon • May 16, 2026
Locked glass display cases held rings and necklaces and brooches, and a few guitars and banjos hung on the pine-board-paneled walls to diversify the merchandise.
From "The Glass Castle" by Jeannette Walls
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
