as in increasing
to become greater in extent, volume, amount, or number
rumors about the incident proliferated on the Internet
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Recent Examples of proliferating
Stories about women living together are proliferating—and offering alternative visions to the nuclear family, Lily Meyer writes.
—
Will Gottsegen, The Atlantic, 22 Apr. 2026
After years of proliferating screens and educational technology, a growing body of data indicates Gen Z has become the first generation less cognitively capable than the previous one.
—Catherine Thorbecke, Boston Herald, 18 Apr. 2026
Nearly every major security vendor is racing to integrate AI into its products, while startups are proliferating with similar claims about autonomous detection and response.
—Sharon Goldman, Fortune, 15 Apr. 2026
Images of Jenner, 70, have been proliferating across Chinese platforms such as Weibo, Xiaohongshu and Douyin, most commonly in profile pictures or wallpapers.
—Kayla Hayempour, NBC news, 5 Apr. 2026
Four years ago, stickers of then-President Joe Biden began proliferating at gas stations nationwide as the cost of gasoline soared.
—John Aguilar, Denver Post, 29 Mar. 2026
No matter what happens next, the war underscores the volatility inherent to the global fossil fuel trade at a time when alternative technologies are proliferating.
—Tim McDonnell, semafor.com, 27 Mar. 2026
Young people take new shine to tanning And there are indications that tanning is making a comeback among teens and young adults, inspired by the melange of health and wellness content proliferating on social media and TikTok.
—Will Stone, NPR, 19 Mar. 2026
If it is now widely accepted that truthful portrayals of war are both technically and morally impossible, what are artists still obligated to picture in this moment when war is proliferating across the globe?
—Hanlu Zhang, Artforum, 10 Mar. 2026
Will Gottsegen, The Atlantic, 22 Apr. 2026
After years of proliferating screens and educational technology, a growing body of data indicates Gen Z has become the first generation less cognitively capable than the previous one.
—Catherine Thorbecke, Boston Herald, 18 Apr. 2026
Nearly every major security vendor is racing to integrate AI into its products, while startups are proliferating with similar claims about autonomous detection and response.
—Sharon Goldman, Fortune, 15 Apr. 2026
Images of Jenner, 70, have been proliferating across Chinese platforms such as Weibo, Xiaohongshu and Douyin, most commonly in profile pictures or wallpapers.
—Kayla Hayempour, NBC news, 5 Apr. 2026
Four years ago, stickers of then-President Joe Biden began proliferating at gas stations nationwide as the cost of gasoline soared.
—John Aguilar, Denver Post, 29 Mar. 2026
No matter what happens next, the war underscores the volatility inherent to the global fossil fuel trade at a time when alternative technologies are proliferating.
—Tim McDonnell, semafor.com, 27 Mar. 2026
Young people take new shine to tanning And there are indications that tanning is making a comeback among teens and young adults, inspired by the melange of health and wellness content proliferating on social media and TikTok.
—Will Stone, NPR, 19 Mar. 2026
If it is now widely accepted that truthful portrayals of war are both technically and morally impossible, what are artists still obligated to picture in this moment when war is proliferating across the globe?
—Hanlu Zhang, Artforum, 10 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for proliferating
Verb
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These organizations, striving to fill the information gap created by the state government’s increasing drift toward secrecy — can’t rely on taxpayers to pay their bills.—
Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board,
The Orlando Sentinel,
30 Apr. 2026
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These changes were to be achieved by increasing the consumption of fruits and vegetables, decreasing the consumption of meat and eggs, and substituting nonfat milk for whole milk.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
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That’s why David Gallo’s setting, a vista of a fragile boarding house nearly consumed by the rising, sun-blotting, industrial landscape of Pittsburgh, works so effectively here.—
Chris Jones,
New York Daily News,
26 Apr. 2026
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After a faulty cooling system was left to disrepair, rising temperatures resulted in an explosion with the equivalent force of 70-100 tons of TNT.—
Kurt Snibbe,
Oc Register,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The growing fleet is accelerating development by generating large-scale data for Helix, the company’s humanoid AI model, while enabling real-world deployment across research, commercial, and domestic use cases, according to a blog by Figure.—
Jijo Malayil,
Interesting Engineering,
30 Apr. 2026
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Polls show Americans are angry — and rightly so — at accelerating medical bills.—
Stephen Moore,
Boston Herald,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The Southern Anoka County Assistance food shelf (SACA) is expanding to meet a growing need in Columbia Heights.—
Ashley Grams,
CBS News,
30 Apr. 2026
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The store initially sold ice cream before expanding to chocolates in 1965.—
Clare Fisher,
PEOPLE,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Complications from measles include ear infections, hearing loss, pneumonia, croup, diarrhea, blindness, and swelling of the brain, the CDC said.—
Thao Nguyen,
USA Today,
30 Apr. 2026
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Measuring just several tens of cubic millimeters, the new microbattery eliminates many of the safety risks associated with traditional lithium-ion batteries (Li-ion), such as swelling, leakage, and overheating, by avoiding liquid electrolytes.—
Georgina Jedikovska,
Interesting Engineering,
29 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Dealerships are multiplying amidst promises of economic prosperity in a country where the vehicle fleet has become increasingly outdated due to the economic crisis.—
CNN Staff,
CNN Money,
23 Apr. 2026
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Cleaning units Cleaning units are a measurement of the efficacy of a pressure washer and are a result of multiplying the PSI by the GPM.—
BestReviews,
Mercury News,
17 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Proliferating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/proliferating. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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