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
• am diversifying
  progressive
• are 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

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Etymology

Origin of diversify

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

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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

See Examples For:

diversify diversifies diversified diversifying

"You need to diversify the type of value chains and crops that you are currently self-sufficient, and food security becomes now in many countries a matter of national security," he added.

From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026

Carney’s solution, besides seeking a deal to reduce U.S. tariffs, is to unlock more of Canada’s resources and diversify the markets into which they are sold.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026

"Eventually, because they're nearing a ceiling with that, they'll need another revenue stream to diversify, and that's where it's been more of a struggle," he said.

From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2026

And Jones believes that, due to all of the uncertainty caused by rapidly advancing artificial-intelligence capabilities, many of these insiders will want to quickly diversify.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 13, 2026

They intend to offer housing at an affordable price, the goal being to diversify North Davey.

From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold

Eni’s investment diversifies its supply chains and supports its battery plant in Italy, with Eni taking a technical and operational role.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 6, 2026

"For China, the pipeline is about energy security and leverage, and less about dependence. It diversifies supply away from maritime chokepoints," he said.

From Barron's ● May 19, 2026

For Russia, the key question is whether it can maintain influence if Mali diversifies its security ties.

From BBC ● Apr. 28, 2026

Researchers believe these findings could help answer a long-standing question about how life diversifies so rapidly under the right conditions.

From Science Daily ● Apr. 1, 2026

A constant succession of hill and dale diversifies the whole face of the country, which is so free from timber, that in many places there are thousands of acres without a tree.

From Statistical, Historical and Political Description of the Colony of New South Wales and its Dependent Settlements in Van Diemen's Land With a Particular Enumeration of the Advantages Which These Colonies Offer for Emigration, and Their Superiority in Many Respects Over Those Possessed by the United States of America by William Charles Wentworth

Plus, how to take advantage of high bond yields right now while keeping a diversified portfolio.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 20, 2026

“We’ve built a diversified firm with multiple investment platforms, numerous sources of capital and a long-term approach to investing.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 17, 2026

Hyperscalers “have fairly diversified non-AI revenues as well, which will stand them in good stead,” she said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026

Biopharma stocks like AbbVie and Eli Lilly are trading at or near all-time highs, in the latest signal that investors are seeking out the steady gains that come with large, diversified drugmakers.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 15, 2026

My father has always stressed the importance of diversification, and I like to think that I’ve acquired a diversified portfolio from my hydration business—a portfolio I plan to turn for a profit on eBay.

From "Dry" by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman

Though businesses are diversifying away from the two AI heavyweights, overall AI spending seems to be continuing on a steep upward trajectory, the analysts say.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026

Heaton, 32, has likewise been diversifying his post- “Stranger Things” portfolio.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2026

“We expect the portfolio diversifying properties of negative beta stocks to remain meaningful into 2027.”

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 6, 2026

Taken together, the evidence indicates that both powered flight and echolocation emerged before modern bat groups began diversifying.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 30, 2026

They knew how significant it was that another one of us had made it; it was like one more step toward diversifying fencing.

From "Proud" by Ibtihaj Muhammad

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