metastasize

verb

me·​tas·​ta·​size mə-ˈta-stə-ˌsīz 

metastasized; metastasizing

intransitive verb

: to spread or grow by or as if by metastasis

died of lung cancer which had metastasized throughout his body

—G. P. Elliott

Examples of metastasize in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

What was once a niche campaign against diversity-equity-and-inclusion programs has metastasized into a general anti-idealism. —Benjamin Wallace-Wells, The New Yorker, 26 Jan. 2025

Meanwhile, the online manosphere—newly emboldened by President Trump and his First Buddy Musk—continues to metastasize in scope and influence. —Katie Drummond, WIRED, 13 Jan. 2025

Constant nausea and vomiting can also be a symptom experienced when breast cancer metastasizes into the brain. —Julie Scott, Msn, People.com, 2 Oct. 2024

As Israel battles back after the humiliation of the Hamas attack on October 7 of last year—with the highly destructive war in the Gaza Strip now metastasized into a war to the death against Hezbollah in Lebanon—the country’s intelligence services are working to remove the damning stain of failure. —Dan Raviv, airmail.news, 28 Sep. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1907, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

metastasize

verb

me·​tas·​ta·​size mə-ˈtas-tə-ˌsīz 

: to spread or grow by or as if by metastasis

Medical Definition

metastasize

intransitive verb

me·​tas·​ta·​size

variants also British metastasise

mə-ˈtas-tə-ˌsīz 

metastasized also British metastasised; metastasizing also British metastasising

: to spread by metastasis

… all ten were primary brain cancers; that is, they had originated in the brain, and not metastasized there from elsewhere in the body.

—Paul Brodeur, The New Yorker

metastasization noun

also British metastasisation

mə-ˌtas-tə-sə-ˈzā-shən