propagate
Americanverb (used with object)
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to cause (an organism) to multiply by any process of natural reproduction from the parent stock.
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to reproduce (itself, its kind, etc.), as an organism does.
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to transmit (hereditary features or elements) to, or through, offspring.
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to spread (a report, doctrine, practice, etc.) from person to person; disseminate.
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to cause to increase in number or amount.
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to create (an effect) at a distance, as by electromagnetic waves, compression waves, etc., traveling through space or a physical medium; transmit.
to propagate sound.
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to spread (a disease) from one individual to another.
Dr. John Atlee believed believed that filthy living conditions probably propagated cholera.
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Computers. to cause (an update or other alteration) to take effect throughout a network of devices.
The active master database replicates updates to the standby master database, which propagates the updates to the subscribers.
verb (used without object)
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to multiply by any process of natural reproduction, as organisms; breed.
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to increase in extent, as a structural flaw.
The crack will propagate only to this joint.
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(of electromagnetic waves, compression waves, etc.) to travel through space or a physical medium.
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Computers. to take effect throughout a network of devices.
verb
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biology to reproduce or cause to reproduce; breed
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(tr) horticulture to produce (plants) by layering, grafting, cuttings, etc
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(tr) to promulgate; disseminate
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physics to move through, cause to move through, or transmit, esp in the form of a wave
to propagate sound
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(tr) to transmit (characteristics) from one generation to the next
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of propagate
First recorded in 1560–70; from Latin propāgātus (past participle of propāgāre “to reproduce (a plant) by cuttings, spread for sprouting, propagate, enlarge),” equivalent to propāg(ēs) “something set out, scion, slip” ( pro- pro- 1 + pāg-, base of pangere “to fasten” + -ēs noun suffix) + -ātus -ate 1
Explanation
To propagate is to be fruitful and multiply, by the usual routes of reproduction, or by spreading something around — like a rumor. Propagate comes from the Latin word propagare, which means "to reproduce plants, breed." Plants love to propagate, especially when someone with a green thumb starts off with a jade plant stem in water and ends up with a garden full of the succulents. Plants aren't the only things to propagate like bunnies: in some apocalyptic movies, a virus propagates quickly, killing almost everyone in the world. Sound and light can also spread, or propagate, through the air.
Vocabulary lists containing propagate
Romeo and Juliet
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Power Prefix: pro
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The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
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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.
The consequences propagate outward—first into food systems, then into fragile states, then into migration pressures at the borders of more-resilient economies.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 14, 2026
A former member of the jihadist group told reporters in 2019 that they were originally funded by a military intelligence unit to propagate a fundamentalist ideology in Sri Lanka's multi-ethnic eastern province.
From Barron's • Feb. 25, 2026
By directly linking viral spread to cell movement, this mechanism challenges long-standing assumptions about how infections propagate.
From Science Daily • Jan. 5, 2026
“And people have observed that when the fault is very smooth, the rupture ... tends to propagate at a velocity” so fast that it results in an “extremely elongated rupture,” Avouac said.
From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 11, 2025
Fears have been raised that in their enthusiasm scientists might inadvertently create a black hole or even something called "strange quarks," which could, theoretically, interact with other subatomic particles and propagate uncontrollably.
From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson
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.
