propagate
Other forms: propagated; propagating; propagates
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.
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multiply through reproduction
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transmit“propagate sound or light through air”
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type of:
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channel, channelise, channelize, transfer, transmit, transport
send from one person or place to another
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channel, channelise, channelize, transfer, transmit, transport
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transmit from one generation to the next“propagate these characteristics”
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type of:
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pass on
give to or transfer possession of
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pass on
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become distributed or widespread
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transmit or cause to broaden or spread“This great civilization was propagated throughout the land”
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type of:
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distribute, spread
distribute or disperse widely
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distribute, spread
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cause to become widely known
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synonyms:
broadcast, circularise, circularize, circulate, diffuse, disperse, disseminate, distribute, pass around, spread
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types:
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podcast
distribute (multimedia files) over the internet for playback on a mobile device or a personal computer
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sow
introduce into an environment
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generalise, generalize, popularise, popularize, vulgarise, vulgarize
cater to popular taste to make popular and present to the general public; bring into general or common use
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carry, run
include as the content; broadcast or publicize
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cause to propagate, as by grafting or layering
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travel through the air
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Vocabulary lists containing propagate
Sparks fly when Romeo and Juliet first meet, but their families are sworn enemies locked in an ancient feud. Learn these words from Shakespeare's classic tale of star-crossed love.
After having a child out of wedlock, Hester Prynne is shunned by her Puritan community and forced to wear a scarlet "A" on her clothing — but Hester is not the only one who has transgressed. This classic novel explores guilt, sin, and hypocrisy.