perpetuate

verb

per·​pet·​u·​ate pər-ˈpe-chə-ˌwāt How to pronounce perpetuate (audio)
perpetuated; perpetuating

transitive verb

: to make perpetual or cause to last indefinitely
perpetuate the species
perpetuation noun
perpetuator noun

Examples of perpetuate in a Sentence

He perpetuates the myth that his house is haunted. Fears about an epidemic are being perpetuated by the media.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
These findings highlight a more significant aspect of how AI systems encode and perpetuate cultural assumptions, as well as where decoding errors might occur in the human reader's mind. ArsTechnica, 23 Sep. 2025 Lessons to learn from Tuskegee Ladapo’s word choice also runs the risk of perpetuating the rightful mistrust that continues to exist in communities of color about vaccines and the American health system more broadly. Stacie Kershner, The Conversation, 22 Sep. 2025 When the area is surgically removed or biopsied, the infection spreads, perpetuating the disease. Lucy Notarantonio, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 Sep. 2025 How is transmaxxing being used to perpetuate transphobia? Quispe López, Them., 19 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for perpetuate

Word History

Etymology

Latin perpetuatus, past participle of perpetuare, from perpetuus

First Known Use

1530, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of perpetuate was in 1530

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Perpetuate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/perpetuate. Accessed 24 Sep. 2025.

Kids Definition

perpetuate

verb
per·​pet·​u·​ate pər-ˈpech-ə-ˌwāt How to pronounce perpetuate (audio)
perpetuated; perpetuating
: to make perpetual or cause to last indefinitely
perpetuation noun
perpetuator noun

Legal Definition

perpetuate

transitive verb
per·​pet·​u·​ate pər-ˈpe-chə-ˌwāt How to pronounce perpetuate (audio)
perpetuated; perpetuating
: to preserve or make available (testimony) for later use at a trial by means of deposition especially when the evidence so gathered would be otherwise unavailable or lost

Note: Courts will not allow the perpetuation of testimony at a pretrial proceeding if it appears to be an attempt to fish for useful material.

perpetuation noun

More from Merriam-Webster on perpetuate

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!