proliferate
verb
Did you know?
Proliferate is a back-formation of proliferation. That means that proliferation came first (we borrowed it from French in the 1700s), and was later shortened to form the verb. Proliferation originally referred to the botanical phenomenon of some plants having buds, flowers, or other parts that are adventitious—that is, that arise or occur sporadically or in other than the usual location (e.g. pitch pines’ ability to sprout new trees directly from their stumps after a fire). With advances in the study of biology in the 1800s, proliferation came to be used to refer to the rapid and repeated production of cells by division. That sense in turn begat the verb proliferate, which eventually came to be used when anything—whether living (such as yeast) or nonliving (such as data)—quickly increases or multiplies.
Examples of proliferate in a Sentence
Ryan Whitwam, ArsTechnica, 10 Apr. 2025
But just before moving pictures started to proliferate in their nickelodeon infancy, the Shuberts saw an opportunity in the legitimate theater and grabbed it.
—Frank Rich, Vulture, 8 Apr. 2025
She’s led the Huskies to four Final Fours, sandwiched around an ACL injury that cost her a season, in an era proliferated with stars and formidable programs.
—Marcus Thompson Ii, New York Times, 7 Apr. 2025
By then, Gates and Allen had accomplished their goal of helping put a computer on every desk and in every home, laying the foundation for the digital technology that has since proliferated into every corner of our lives.
—Monica Nickelsburg, NPR, 4 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for proliferate
Cite this Entry
“Proliferate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/proliferate. Accessed 16 Apr. 2025.
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proliferate
verb
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proliferate
verb
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