Synonyms

propagate

American

[prop-uh-geyt] / ˈprɒp əˌgeɪt /

verb (used with object)

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)

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.

propagate British

/ 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 wave

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

"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

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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.

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Vocabulary lists containing propagate

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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.

See Examples For:

propagate propagates propagated propagating

Any talk of changing the rules, salary cap or otherwise, to put reins on this kind of success would propagate underperformance and penalize this fascinating culture of constant improvement.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 8, 2026

Any pullback in stock markets has major negative wealth effects, and because the U.S. is pretty much two thirds of the world’s stock market capitalization a “U.S.-led repricing could propagate globally.”

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 29, 2026

The IMF called for sharpening cybersecurity measures, as AI-assisted attacks can propagate across sectors like energy and telecom.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 8, 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

“About three hundred years ago, some Rusty figured a way to engineer the species to adapt to wider conditions. She messed with the genes to make them propagate more easily.”

From "Uglies" by Scott Westerfeld

Over generations, the trait propagates through the population until what was once a rare mutation becomes commonplace.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026

Recent publications by the Hannezo group suggest that cell communication propagates in waves -- an interplay between biochemical signals, physical behavior, and motion.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 19, 2024

Now a nonprofit, the group propagates and distributes about 10,000 native saplings annually from wild-collected seed, mostly to other nonprofits and ecological restoration efforts.

From Seattle Times ● May 22, 2024

It’s one of many factors the researchers had to consider in their acoustic modeling, along with wind speed, temperature and time of year, which can all affect how sound propagates through the ocean.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 5, 2024

The plant propagates itself by offsets on all sides, so that it forms after a time a dense cushion or aggregation of rosettes.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 13, Slice 7 "Horticulture" to "Hudson Bay" by Various

The belief, which air theorists had propagated since the onset of combat planes in World War I, seemed confirmed by the results of World War II. However, the U.S.

From Slate ● Jul. 30, 2026

Saplings which have been propagated from the few surviving trees in the county are being nurtured in Terrington, near Malton, before they are planted within the next two years.

From BBC ● Jun. 19, 2026

In contrast, the Wrightwood earthquake of 1812 crossed the junction and propagated through both fault systems as a single event.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 18, 2026

To get around this awkwardness, Winthrop et al. propagated the notion—formalized in the colony’s 1629 seal—that the Native Americans needed the new settlers for their own good.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 7, 2025

It propagated all the way around until it met its starting point.

From "The Martian" by Andy Weir

Helen Litchfield, secretary of the botany section at La Société Guernesiaise, said the team's efforts in propagating the dwarf pansy meant it was no longer at risk.

From BBC ● Apr. 3, 2026

Both countries poured billions of dollars into propagating their respective versions of Islamic orthodoxy around the world.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 25, 2026

"A survival strategy starts with finding clean cuttings in the wild before myrtle rust attacks them and propagating them to grow at safe sites," he said.

From Science Daily ● Mar. 13, 2026

Correlations across asset classes could rise abruptly, propagating the initial stress like a wave across segments of the financial system seemingly uncorrelated.

From MarketWatch ● Feb. 26, 2026

George Mason University There is enough mathematical illiteracy in this country, and we don’t need the world’s highest IQ propagating more.

From "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time" by Mark Haddon

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023