verb · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
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/pɹəˈlɪf.əɹ.eɪt/
Southern-England:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
CMU ARPABET:P R OW0 L IH1 F ER0 EY2 T
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
verb
Meaning 1
To increase in number or spread rapidly; to multiply.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: ambitransitive
Examples
The flowers proliferated rapidly all spring.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
verb
Meaning 2
cause to grow or increase rapidly
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
We must not proliferate nuclear arms
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: multiply, manifold
3
verb
Meaning 3
grow rapidly
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
Pizza parlors proliferate in this area
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: grow
History
Etymology
Back-formation from proliferation.
Across languages
Translations
24 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Bulgarian:
разпространявам се
(razprostranjavam se)
— to increase in number or spread
Chinese Mandarin:
激增
(jīzēng)
— to increase in number or spread
Chinese Mandarin:
劇增 /剧增
(jùzēng)
— to increase in number or spread
Chinese Mandarin:
擴散 /扩散
(kuòsàn)
— to increase in number or spread
Chinese Mandarin:
增生
(zēngshēng)
— to increase in number or spread
Chinese Mandarin:
增殖
(zēngzhí)
— to increase in number or spread
Dutch:
snel vermenigvuldigen
— to increase in number or spread
Dutch:
prolifereren
— to increase in number or spread
Finnish:
lisääntyä nopeasti
— to increase in number or spread
Finnish:
levitä nopeasti
— to increase in number or spread
German:
sich ausbreiten
— to increase in number or spread
German:
sich vermehren
— to increase in number or spread
Māori:
koke
— to increase in number or spread
Māori:
whakaranea
— to increase in number or spread
Portuguese:
proliferar
— to increase in number or spread
Russian:
размножа́ться
(razmnožátʹsja)
— to increase in number or spread
Russian:
размно́житься
(razmnóžitʹsja)
— to increase in number or spread
Russian:
распространя́ться
(rasprostranjátʹsja)
— to increase in number or spread
Russian:
распространи́ться
(rasprostranítʹsja)
— to increase in number or spread
Russian:
распространя́ть
(rasprostranjátʹ)
— to increase in number or spread
Russian:
распространи́ть
(rasprostranítʹ)
— to increase in number or spread
Serbo-Croatian:
пролифери́рати
— to increase in number or spread
Serbo-Croatian:
proliferírati
— to increase in number or spread
Spanish:
proliferar
— to increase in number or spread
