perpetuate
Americanverb (used with object)
-
to enable or allow the continuation of into the future; keep alive (used most often in reference to something considered harmful or false): Vines obscured a plaque intended to perpetuate her memory.
Social media played a significant role in perpetuating political divisions.
Vines obscured a plaque intended to perpetuate her memory.
-
to preserve from extinction or oblivion: perpetuate the species.
to perpetuate one's name;
perpetuate the species.
verb
Other Word Forms
- perpetuable adjective
- perpetuance noun
- perpetuation noun
- perpetuator noun
- unperpetuable adjective
- unperpetuating adjective
Etymology
Origin of perpetuate
First recorded in 1520–30; from Latin perpetuātus (past participle of perpetuāre, derivative of perpetuus “uninterrupted”); perpetual, -ate 1
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.
AI images perpetuate "misinformation", for example that people with albinism have red eyes, she said.
From Barron's • Mar. 27, 2026
Springsteen takes up the story and adds a moment where a man seeking what he believes is retribution against his friends decides to take another path instead and not perpetuate the cycle of violence.
From Salon • Feb. 10, 2026
“If this data has been absconded or downloaded, you could perpetuate fraud against every single government system in existence much more easily than at any time in our history.”
From MarketWatch • Feb. 4, 2026
We must not assume that liberty will perpetuate itself or that institutions will function without the trust and discipline of those they serve.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 12, 2025
It was the first step outward to the universe—beyond the universe—because in it and with it we merged to recreate and perpetuate the human spirit.
From "Flowers for Algernon" by Daniel Keyes
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.
