# propagate

/ˈpɹɑpəˌɡeɪt/ (US) · /pɹˈɒpɐɡˌeɪt/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/propagate
Updated: 2026-08-27

## Senses

### 1. plants/biology

verb · CEFR C1 · Technical

to grow new plants from an existing one, for example by using seeds or cuttings.

For teachers: to cause an organism to multiply by any process of natural reproduction from the parent stock.

- You can propagate many house plants simply by putting a cutting in water.
- The nursery specializes in rare succulents that are notoriously difficult to propagate from leaf cuttings alone.

Usage: Often used with 'from' to indicate the source material.

### 2. ideas/information

verb · CEFR C1 · Academic · Formal

to spread ideas, beliefs, or information to many people.

For teachers: to disseminate or spread a report, doctrine, or practice from person to person or place to place.

- The group used social media to propagate their political views across the country.
- The philosopher's radical theories were propagated through a series of underground pamphlets and secret lectures during the late eighteenth century.

### 3. physics/waves

verb · CEFR C1 · Technical

to move through a space or a substance, like sound or light waves.

For teachers: to transmit a wave, impulse, or energy through a medium.

- Sound waves propagate more quickly through water than they do through air.
- The seismic waves propagate outward from the epicenter, losing intensity as they travel through different geological layers.

### 4. computing/networks

verb · CEFR C1 · Technical

to spread new data or settings through a whole computer system or network.

For teachers: to distribute or update data across all relevant nodes or devices in a network or database.

- It may take up to 24 hours for the new website address to propagate across the internet.
- After the administrator updates the security policy, the changes must propagate to every workstation before the new rules take effect.

Usage: Commonly used as an intransitive verb in the context of DNS or database updates.

## Examples

- The gardener learned how to propagate roses from cuttings.
- The internet allows misinformation to propagate much faster than traditional media ever could.
- While the original theory was developed in a small lab, the researchers worked tirelessly to propagate their findings across the global scientific community to ensure peer validation.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.