metastasize
Americanverb (used without object)
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Pathology. (of malignant cells or disease-producing organisms) to spread to other parts of the body by way of the blood or lymphatic vessels or membranous surfaces.
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to spread injuriously.
Street gangs have metastasized in our city.
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to transform, especially into a dangerous form.
The KGB metastasized after the fall of the Soviet Union. Truth metastasized into lurid fantasy.
verb
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pathol (esp of cancer cells) to spread to a new site in the body via blood or lymph vessels
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(of a problem) to deteriorate or spread into new areas
Etymology
Origin of metastasize
First recorded in 1905–10; metastas(is) + -ize
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.
"This means cancer cells will migrate within the nerve and use the nerve as a way to metastasize."
From Science Daily
That’s manifested in a widespread selloff that has started to metastasize beyond purveyors of enterprise software offerings.
From MarketWatch
Usage metastasized from there, spreading to noncoders and tech enthusiasts who raved about how it could take control of a computer, use a web browser and complete tasks far afield from coding.
Although he went into remission, the cancer later returned and metastasized.
From Los Angeles Times
"The good fortune was that it was not very old, and the other thing is that it had not metastasized. It hadn't moved, nothing into bones or anything like that."
From BBC
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
