proliferate

[pruh-lif-uh-reyt]

See more synonyms for proliferate on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with or without object), pro·lif·er·at·ed, pro·lif·er·at·ing.

to grow or produce by multiplication of parts, as in budding or cell division, or by procreation.
to increase in number or spread rapidly and often excessively.

Origin of proliferate

First recorded in 1870–75; prolifer(ous) + -ate¹

Related formspro·lif·er·a·tive, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for proliferating

Contemporary Examples

Wireless was cheaper than wired communications, and cell phones were proliferating.
How the NSA Became a Killing Machine
Shane Harris
November 9, 2014
But the number of models is proliferating rapidly, and that is helping to bring in new buyers.
Hybrid Cars Are Niche No More
The Daily Beast
June 6, 2014
This obsession with food choice often leads people to cut out the wrong ones, proliferating the continuation of new diets.
The Gluten-Free Diet Has Two Faces
Andrea Powell
May 6, 2014
And the New Yorker welcomed The Intercept as part of an encouraging trend of proliferating public-interest journalism startups.
Greenwald’s ‘The Intercept’ Gets Intercepted on Day One
Lloyd Grove
February 11, 2014
And once again fantasies of a breakthrough are proliferating.
Find a China Reset Button
Orville Schell
June 7, 2013

Historical Examples

Imagine that all have a continuous covering of a proliferating epithelium.
Diseases of the Horse's Foot
Harry Caulton Reeks
This process is the primitive streak, and it is formed, like the sickle, of proliferating epiblast cells.
The Works of Francis Maitland Balfour, Volume 1
Francis Maitland Balfour
Epithelial cancer of the cervix may assume a proliferating ulcerative type, forming the well-known “cauliflower” excrescence.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 12, Slice 7
Various
They are going to have to move fast, for threats are proliferating fast as well.
The Nation's River
United States Department of the Interior
Young 1-nucleate individual emerged from cyst, destined to grow, proliferating its nuclei to adult form.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 10, Slice 4
Various

British Dictionary definitions for proliferating

proliferate

verb

to grow or reproduce (new parts, cells, etc) rapidly
to grow or increase or cause to grow or increase rapidly

Derived Formsproliferative, adjective

Word Origin

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

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for proliferating

proliferate

v.

1857 as a term in biology; see proliferation. General sense from 1961. Related: Proliferated; proliferating.

proliferating in Medicine

proliferate

(prə-lĭf′ə-rāt′)

To grow or multiply by rapidly producing new tissue, parts, cells, or offspring.

proliferate

Origin of .css-1fxfie5{font-size:22px;}@media (max-width:768px){.css-1fxfie5{font-size:18px;margin:0 10px 10px 0;word-break:break-all;word-wrap:break-word;-webkit-hyphens:auto;-moz-hyphens:auto;-ms-hyphens:auto;hyphens:auto;line-height:22px;}}proliferate

Examples from the Web for proliferating

Contemporary Examples

Wireless was cheaper than wired communications, and cell phones were proliferating.

But the number of models is proliferating rapidly, and that is helping to bring in new buyers.

This obsession with food choice often leads people to cut out the wrong ones, proliferating the continuation of new diets.

And the New Yorker welcomed The Intercept as part of an encouraging trend of proliferating public-interest journalism startups.

And once again fantasies of a breakthrough are proliferating.

Historical Examples

Imagine that all have a continuous covering of a proliferating epithelium.

This process is the primitive streak, and it is formed, like the sickle, of proliferating epiblast cells.

Epithelial cancer of the cervix may assume a proliferating ulcerative type, forming the well-known “cauliflower” excrescence.

They are going to have to move fast, for threats are proliferating fast as well.

Young 1-nucleate individual emerged from cyst, destined to grow, proliferating its nuclei to adult form.

proliferate

Word Origin

Word Origin and History for proliferating

proliferate

v.

proliferate

Origin of proliferate