proliferate

[pruh-lif-uh-reyt]

verb (used with or without object)

proliferated, proliferating 

1. to grow or produce by multiplication of parts, as in budding or cell division, or by procreation.

2. to increase in number or spread rapidly and often excessively.

proliferate

/ prəˈlɪfəˌreɪt /

verb

1. to grow or reproduce (new parts, cells, etc) rapidly

2. to grow or increase or cause to grow or increase rapidly

Other Word Forms

• proliferative adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of proliferate¹

First recorded in 1870–75; prolifer(ous) + -ate ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of proliferate¹

C19: from Medieval Latin prōlifer having offspring, from Latin prōlēs offspring + ferre to bear

Example Sentences

And, unlike in the West, companies aiming to create wood pellets to ship abroad have proliferated in the South.

From Los Angeles Times

Brazil's Supreme Court recent ruled that social media were directly liable for illegal content, including hate speech, and must immediately act to remove it and accounts proliferating it.

From BBC

Copycat Tea apps for men have also proliferated - but there's no suggestion the men are doing this for their safety.

From BBC

Investment in original programming has been the main obstacle to profitability for the streaming services that have proliferated in recent years.

From Los Angeles Times

In his 1950 master’s thesis, Naidorf imagined a future in which computers would proliferate and become compact, eliminating the need for sprawling offices.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• breed 
• burgeon 
• escalate 
• generate 
• multiply 
• mushroom 
• propagate 
• reproduce 
• snowball