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proliferate

Pronunciation: /prəˈlɪfəreɪt/
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Definition of proliferate

verb

[no object]
  • increase rapidly in number; multiply:the science-fiction magazines which proliferated in the 1920s
  • (of a cell, structure, or organism) reproduce rapidly:cultured cells often proliferate indefinitely
  • [with object] cause (cells, tissue, structures, etc.) to reproduce rapidly: electromagnetic radiation can only proliferate cancers already present

Derivatives

proliferative

Pronunciation: /-rətɪv/
adjective

proliferator

noun

Origin:

late 19th century: back-formation from proliferation

proliferate in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of proliferate in the US English dictionary

Nearby words

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