MEANING
To increase quickly in number, often through repeated growth or reproduction.
Use it for
Words that belong together
- proliferate rapidly
- proliferate online
On the page
Unofficial accounts proliferated after the announcement.
Nearby words
Word forms
- Base
- proliferate
- Past tense
- proliferated
- Past participle
- proliferated
- Present participle
- proliferating
Full tense & aspect guide
- Present
- proliferate
- Present continuous
- am/is/are proliferating
- Present perfect
- have/has proliferated
- Present perfect continuous
- have/has been proliferating
- Past
- proliferated
- Past continuous
- was/were proliferating
- Past perfect
- had proliferated
- Past perfect continuous
- had been proliferating
- Future
- will proliferate
- Future continuous
- will be proliferating
- Future perfect
- will have proliferated
- Future perfect continuous
- will have been proliferating
Choose the auxiliary that agrees with your subject. These are constructions of one word, not separate entries.
Usage notes
Primary category: academic / formal. Forms: proliferate; proliferates; proliferated; proliferated; proliferating Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Established modern English lexical item. No separate regional spelling or grammatical inflection entry. Writing functions: change, causation. Commonness: moderately common. Third-person singular: proliferates.
Practice this word in a sentenceYour margin notes
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