propagate

[ prop-uh-geyt ]

/ ˈprɒp əˌgeɪt /

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See synonyms for: propagate / propagated / propagates / propagating on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object), prop·a·gat·ed, prop·a·gat·ing.

to cause (an organism) to multiply by any process of natural reproduction from the parent stock.

to reproduce (itself, its kind, etc.), as an organism does.

to transmit (hereditary features or elements) to, or through, offspring.

to spread (a report, doctrine, practice, etc.) from person to person; disseminate.

to cause to increase in number or amount.

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.

to spread (a disease) from one individual to another: Dr. John Atlee believed believed that filthy living conditions probably propagated cholera.

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), prop·a·gat·ed, prop·a·gat·ing.

to multiply by any process of natural reproduction, as organisms; breed.

to increase in extent, as a structural flaw: The crack will propagate only to this joint.

(of electromagnetic waves, compression waves, etc.) to travel through space or a physical medium.

Computers. to take effect throughout a network of devices.

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

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 -ate¹

OTHER WORDS FROM propagate

prop·a·ga·tive, prop·a·ga·to·ry

[prop-uh-guh-tawr-ee], /ˈprɒp ə gəˌtɔr i/, adjectiveprop·a·ga·tor, nounnon·prop·a·ga·tive, adjectiveself-prop·a·gat·ing, adjective

un·prop·a·ga·tive, adjective

Words nearby propagate

propaedeutic, propagable, propaganda, propagandist, propagandize, propagate, propagated, propagation, propagator, propagule, propane

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

How to use propagate in a sentence

The second type of self-disseminating vaccine, the transmissible one, consists of live modified viruses that propagate a weakened form of a disease.
Can Vaccines for Wildlife Prevent Human Pandemics?|Rodrigo Pérez Ortega|August 24, 2020|Quanta Magazine
Emotionally charged prejudices are propagated from generation to generation by parental and adult authority and by the use of myths and symbols.
From the archives: Technology and power|Katie McLean|August 19, 2020|MIT Technology Review
The lie started out as a rumor, which was first picked up and propagated by the American PR firm Hill & Knowlton.
The Great Lie of the First Gulf War|Mat Nashed|August 17, 2020|Ozy
The precise history of these self-propagating stories here on Earth is excruciatingly hard to decode because what we see are the successes.
How Life Could Continue to Evolve - Issue 88: Love & Sex|Caleb Scharf|August 12, 2020|Nautilus

If recombination happened earlier than supposed due to the clumping effect of magnetic fields, then sound waves couldn’t have propagated as far beforehand, and the resulting blobs would be smaller.
The Hidden Magnetic Universe Begins to Come Into View|Natalie Wolchover|July 2, 2020|Quanta Magazine
Anti-abortion organizations tend to tend to propagate the idea that the procedure is dangerous and unproven.
Abortion Complications Are Rare, No Matter What the Right Says|Samantha Allen|December 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Online, commenters seeking a way in or claiming to have visited the site propagate stories about the Cold War bunker.
Britain’s Nuke-Proof Underground City|Nina Strochlic|June 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Those who propagate it are considered paranoids or activists with an axe to grind.
Did Putin Blow Up the Whole Polish Government in 2010? A Second Look.|Will Cathcart|April 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Neocon supporters of Netanyahu like David Frum propagate this view as well.
How Obama's Change Message Can Go Global|Eric Alterman|May 18, 2009|DAILY BEAST
He was stern but never oppressive – we knew abuse of power and would not propagate it in our personal lives.
How I Fell in Love in Prison|John Forté|March 13, 2009|DAILY BEAST
These animals prefer cold countries, but can subsist and propagate in temperate ones.
Buffon's Natural History. Volume VII (of 10)|Georges Louis Leclerc de Buffon
If they could propagate their own they would be more likely to plant them.
Northern Nut Growers Association Thirty-Fourth Annual Report 1943|Various
June is also the proper time to propagate pinks and carnations by pipings.
The Book of Sports:|William Martin
In the species of the hen and pigeon, a great number of races have been very lately produced, all of which propagate their kinds.
A Treatise on Sheep:|Ambrose Blacklock
It is a mutual action of male and female, with instruments ordained for that purpose to propagate their kind.
The Works of Aristotle the Famous Philosopher|Anonymous

British Dictionary definitions for propagate

propagate

/ (ˈprɒpəˌɡeɪt) /

verb

biology to reproduce or cause to reproduce; breed

(tr) horticulture to produce (plants) by layering, grafting, cuttings, etc

(tr) to promulgate; disseminate

physics to move through, cause to move through, or transmit, esp in the form of a waveto propagate sound

(tr) to transmit (characteristics) from one generation to the next

Derived forms of propagate

propagation, nounpropagational, adjectivepropagative, adjective

Word Origin for propagate

C16: from Latin propāgāre to increase (plants) by cuttings, from propāgēs a cutting, from pangere to fasten

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

propagate

Origin of propagate

OTHER WORDS FROM propagate

Words nearby propagate

Words related to propagate

How to use propagate in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for propagate

Derived forms of propagate

Word Origin for propagate