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

But energy costs don’t stay contained; they propagate because they are a key input for many goods and services.

From MarketWatch ● May 13, 2026

In a financial system built on common software and shared service providers, AI-assisted attacks can propagate across sectors like energy, telecommunications and public services that rely on the same infrastructure, the IMF said.

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

It was once thought, in the days before relativity, that light did propagate through a special medium that permeated all of space, called “the luminiferous aether.”

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan

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

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

However, a common stumbling block has been a lack of understanding into how this spin current actually moves or propagates within the material itself.

From Science Daily ● Apr. 23, 2024

These cattle are believed to have originated about a century ago among the Indians to the south of the La Plata, and the breed propagates itself with great constancy.

From The Origin of the World According to Revelation and Science by John William Dawson

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

Lee’s standout identity plays — “Straight White Men,” “The Shipment” and “Songs of the Dragons Flying to Heaven” — reject the illusion of stable, coherent characters propagated by psychological realism.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 29, 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

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

“It seems quite obvious to me that those propagating that post are either just looking for easy engagement and/or have never worked in a serious financial institution,” he wrote.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 17, 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

To develop a whole-virus vaccine, researchers must first spend months isolating and propagating the virus.

From Salon ● Sep. 5, 2025

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

Related Words

• circulate
• disseminate
• publicize
• transmit