proliferate

[ pruh-lif-uh-reyt ]

/ prəˈlɪf əˌreɪt /

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See synonyms for: proliferate / proliferates / proliferating 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.

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Origin of proliferate

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

OTHER WORDS FROM proliferate

pro·lif·er·a·tive, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use proliferate in a sentence

As these electronic payments and the services associated with them proliferate, particularly due to the pandemic and the incoming presidential administration, the financial world is changing rapidly.
The cashless economy: How fintech is approaching the future of finance|McKenna Moore|November 19, 2020|Fortune
Delivery-only restaurants, which have proliferated during the pandemic, could change the way the industry does business for years to comeSunset Squares Pizza has fewer than 1,000 followers on Instagram.
Ghost Kitchens Are the Wave of the Future. But Is That a Good Thing?|Kristen Hawley|November 9, 2020|Eater
As OTT apps and streaming services proliferate, they take up more and more space and it makes perfect sense to isolate them.
Review: Sony’s PlayStation 5 is here, but next-generation gaming is still on its way|Devin Coldewey|November 6, 2020|TechCrunch
In the post-election fog, social media has become the terrain for a low-grade war on our cognitive security, with misinformation campaigns and conspiracy theories proliferating.
Why social media can’t keep moderating content in the shadows|Bobbie Johnson|November 6, 2020|MIT Technology Review

The level of early voting is also a virtual guarantee that we will see disinformation proliferate through traditional and social media throughout the day.
What to expect on Election Day|Bobbie Johnson|October 26, 2020|MIT Technology Review
Wireless was cheaper than wired communications, and cell phones were proliferating.
How the NSA Became a Killing Machine|Shane Harris|November 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
And once again fantasies of a breakthrough are proliferating.
Find a China Reset Button|Orville Schell|June 7, 2013|DAILY BEAST
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
Everywhere purple-leaved vines, vastly proliferating, climbed in a riot of greed for the sunlight of the forest ceiling.
West Of The Sun|Edgar Pangborn
Imagine that all have a continuous covering of a proliferating epithelium.
Diseases of the Horse's Foot|Harry Caulton Reeks
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 proliferate

proliferate

/ (prəˈlɪfəˌreɪt) /

verb

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

to grow or increase or cause to grow or increase rapidly

Derived forms of proliferate

proliferative, adjective

Word Origin for proliferate

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

proliferate

Origin of proliferate

OTHER WORDS FROM proliferate

Words related to proliferate

How to use proliferate in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for proliferate

Derived forms of proliferate

Word Origin for proliferate