procreate
Americanverb (used with object)
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procreates,
present (3rd person singular)
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procreated,
past participle, past
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procreating
present participle
-
to beget or generate (offspring).
-
to produce; bring into being.
verb (used without object)
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procreates,
present (3rd person singular)
-
procreated,
past participle, past
-
procreating
present participle
-
to beget offspring.
-
to produce; bring into being.
verb
-
to beget or engender (offspring)
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(tr) to bring into being
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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procreationnoun
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procreativenessnoun
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procreatornoun
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nonprocreativeadjective
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procreantadjective
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procreativeadjective
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unprocreatedadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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procreatesimple
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procreatessimple
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have procreatedperfect
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has procreatedperfect
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am procreatingprogressive
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are procreatingprogressive
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is procreatingprogressive
-
have been procreatingperfect progressive
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has been procreatingperfect progressive
Past
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procreatedsimple
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had procreatedperfect
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was procreatingprogressive
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were procreatingprogressive
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had been procreatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of procreate
First recorded in 1530–40; from Latin prōcreātus, past participle of prōcreāre “to breed”; see pro- 1, create
Explanation
To procreate is to reproduce. In other words, to procreate is a more formal way of saying "making babies." Notice the word create in procreate? That's a clue that this word is about making something, in this case, making more creatures. In biology, procreation is typically called reproduction. All forms of procreating result in more critters like the originals. Your parents procreated, or you wouldn't be here.
Vocabulary lists containing procreate
"The Tragedy of Macbeth," Vocabulary from Act 1
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Dumplin'
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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.
See Examples For:
Finally, to bring the day to a close, a senior monk gives a rousing speech, reminding the participants of their duty to procreate, before breaking into the national anthem.
From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026
The “aspirational vision of masculinity” Mr. Galloway offers is old school, centered around reviving men’s capacity to protect, provide and procreate.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 9, 2025
“We don’t procreate enough to keep our population up,” she said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 12, 2024
Wildlife biologists hope the bears would then procreate.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 11, 2023
There are only a few who really make it out and stay out, while the rest of us drink, procreate, and go to church, and that seems to be enough to keep us afloat.
From "Dumplin'" by Julie Murphy
This is especially true of A. aegypti, because it procreates more rapidly and spreads more aggressively than triatomines.
From Nature ● Mar. 15, 2016
Especially in a world of insatiable electronic storytelling, real history procreates, endlessly conjuring new versions of itself.
From Time Magazine Archive
The Law as the husband of the fruitful woman procreates many children.
From Commentary on the Epistle to the Galatians by Theodore Graebner
He that procreates a person, he that rescues a person, and he that assigns the means of sustenance to a person are regarded as the three sires.
From The Mahabharata of Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa, Volume 4 Books 13, 14, 15, 16, 17 and 18 by Kisari Mohan Ganguli
Revenge is not of the bright French nature; but the sky of this island procreates it.
From Springhaven : a Tale of the Great War by R. D. (Richard Doddridge) Blackmore
Now that those resistant bed bugs have survived and procreated, humans are the ones who must adapt.
From Salon ● Mar. 13, 2024
The second, more damning letter, reads like a manifesto and notes that "persistence procreated the resistance."
From Fox News ● May 21, 2019
Any American who has ever procreated knows what a racket the baby industry is.
From Time ● Dec. 1, 2014
Do we look at men who have somehow not procreated as missing out?
From Slate ● Apr. 26, 2012
We every where perceive animals procreated, which are possessed of the most admirable structure, and yet what portion of the universe can be more ignoble than this earth of ours?
From North American Medical and Surgical Journal, Vol. 2, No. 3, July, 1826 by Franklin Bache
In this case, Patterson said, her client has a strong interest in avoiding procreating against his will.
From Seattle Times ● May 9, 2024
Musk appears concerned about under-population: He's worried there won't be enough people to colonize Mars, and that wealthy people aren't procreating enough.
From Salon ● Jul. 17, 2022
Great news that the latest version of the National Arboretum eagles are settled and procreating.
From Washington Post ● Mar. 18, 2022
My wife, obviously, for procreating with me and being such a good life partner.
From New York Times ● Feb. 3, 2022
But they also light up when the brain interprets something as pleasurable, even if the behavior doesn’t appear to have the survival value of, say, eating or procreating.
From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel
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.
