propagate
verb
Simple meaning
To cause to continue or multiply by generation, or successive production.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
prahpuhgaytSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈpɹɑpəɡeɪt
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
verb
transitiveof animals or plants
To cause to continue or multiply by generation, or successive production.
transitive
To cause to spread to extend; to impel or continue forward in space.
Transmit or cause to broaden or spread
“This great civilization was propagated throughout the land.”
transitive
To spread from person to person; to extend the knowledge of; to originate and spread; to carry from place to place; to disseminate.
transitive
To generate; to produce.
intransitive
To be propagated; to travel.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- C1 · Advanced (estimated)
- Frequency
- Uncommon
- Typical Use
- Primarily written
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: (transitive, of animals or plants) To cause to continue or multiply by generation, or successive production.
Used this way, propagate is a reasonably familiar word with a clearly warm, approving pull. It quietly approves while staying precise.
- Emotional tone
- Positive
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Gentle
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Successful and accomplished
- Usage feel
- Precise and approving
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use propagate
- “This great civilization was propagated throughout the land.”verb
- “Sound and light propagate in this medium.”verb
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
Synonyms
Sense: to cause to continue or multiply by generation
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.