propagate
Americanverb (used with object)
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to cause (an organism) to multiply by any process of natural reproduction from the parent stock.
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to reproduce (itself, its kind, etc.), as an organism does.
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to transmit (hereditary features or elements) to, or through, offspring.
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to spread (a report, doctrine, practice, etc.) from person to person; disseminate.
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to cause to increase in number or amount.
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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.
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to spread (a disease) from one individual to another.
Dr. John Atlee believed believed that filthy living conditions probably propagated cholera.
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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)
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to multiply by any process of natural reproduction, as organisms; breed.
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to increase in extent, as a structural flaw.
The crack will propagate only to this joint.
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(of electromagnetic waves, compression waves, etc.) to travel through space or a physical medium.
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Computers. to take effect throughout a network of devices.
verb
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biology to reproduce or cause to reproduce; breed
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(tr) horticulture to produce (plants) by layering, grafting, cuttings, etc
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(tr) to promulgate; disseminate
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physics to move through, cause to move through, or transmit, esp in the form of a wave
to propagate sound
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(tr) to transmit (characteristics) from one generation to the next
Other Word Forms
- nonpropagative adjective
- propagation noun
- propagational adjective
- propagative adjective
- propagator noun
- propagatory adjective
- self-propagating adjective
- unpropagative adjective
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
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.
He was influenced by Sayyid Qutb, the Sunni Egyptian theoretician of the Muslim Brotherhood who propagated the idea of an Islamic Republic.
Correlations across asset classes could rise abruptly, propagating the initial stress like a wave across segments of the financial system seemingly uncorrelated.
From MarketWatch
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
The sphagnum austinii has been brought from Scotland, where it still grows, to the Yorkshire Dales and is being propagated in local nurseries before it is planted within the blanket bogs.
From BBC
That is the sort of narrative that’s being propagated online in large measure.
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.
