propagate

American  

[prop-uh-geyt] / ˈprɒp əˌgeɪt /

verb (used with object)

propagates, present (3rd person singular) propagated, past participle, past propagating present participle

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

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

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

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

5. to cause to increase in number or amount.

6. 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.

7. to spread (a disease) from one individual to another.

   Dr. John Atlee believed believed that filthy living conditions probably propagated cholera.

8. 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.

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verb (used without object)

propagates, present (3rd person singular) propagated, past participle, past propagating present participle

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

2. to increase in extent, as a structural flaw.

   The crack will propagate only to this joint.

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

4. Computers. to take effect throughout a network of devices.

propagate British  

/ ˈprɒpəˌɡeɪt /

verb

1. biology to reproduce or cause to reproduce; breed

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

3. (tr) to promulgate; disseminate

4. physics to move through, cause to move through, or transmit, esp in the form of a wave

   to propagate sound

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

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• propagation
  noun
• propagator
  noun
• nonpropagative
  adjective
• propagational
  adjective
• propagative
  adjective
• propagatory
  adjective
• self-propagating
  adjective
• unpropagative
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• propagating
  present
• propagated
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• propagate
  simple
• propagates
  simple
• have propagated
  perfect
• has propagated
  perfect
• am propagating
  progressive
• are propagating
  progressive
• is propagating
  progressive
• have been propagating
  perfect progressive
• has been propagating
  perfect progressive

Past

• propagated
  simple
• had propagated
  perfect
• was propagating
  progressive
• were propagating
  progressive
• had been propagating
  perfect progressive

Future

• will propagate
  simple
• will have propagated
  perfect
• will be propagating
  progressive
• will have been propagating
  perfect progressive

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

propagate propagates propagated propagating

"It becomes an extremely focused, extremely weak surface, which makes it easier for ruptures to propagate all the way to the seafloor."

From Science Daily ● Jul. 5, 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

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

But the method required splicing DNA of different organisms and using bacteria to propagate samples.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 29, 2025

“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

“Tár” takes place inside that vacuum, where the conductor propagates this great myth to maintain her control.

From Salon ● Mar. 12, 2025

"What's special about YIG is that it propagates a magnetic spin wave," says Olsson, referring to the type of wave created in magnetic materials when electrons spin in a synchronized fashion.

From Science Daily ● May 24, 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

It grows well in deep, rich, moist loam or in peaty soils, and propagates readily by layers laid down under stones.

From Trees and Shrubs for English Gardens by Cook, Ernest Thomas

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

That is the sort of narrative that’s being propagated online in large measure.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 5, 2026

There is a steep learning curve, but teams of robots can learn collaboratively, with each lesson propagated through the fleet.

From Barron's ● Jan. 6, 2026

The problems of simultaneity do not apply to sound as they do to light because sound is propagated through some material medium, usually air.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan

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

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

So he's making his lawyers waste their time propagating the narrative instead of focusing their energies solely on the goal of confusing at least one juror to render a hung jury.

From Salon ● May 6, 2024

Left untended, other cereals are capable of propagating themselves.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann

Related Words

• circulate
• disseminate
• publicize
• transmit