pullulate
/'pʌljuleit/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Verb:
- To breed or multiply rapidly and abundantly: To produce offspring or increase in number very quickly and in large quantities.
- To sprout or germinate; to bud: To begin to grow, sending out new shoots or buds.
- To be abundantly filled or swarming with something: To be full of moving things or people; to teem or swarm.
- To emerge or move in large numbers: To come forth or pour out in great quantity.
Examples of Usage
- Verb:
- In the warm, nutrient-rich water, algae began to pullulate, covering the pond's surface.
- After the rain, ideas for the new project seemed to pullulate in her mind.
- As soon as the doors opened, fans pullulated from the stadium exits.
- The old wooden floor was pullulating with termites.
Advanced Usage
- Used figuratively for abstract concepts: Often used to describe the rapid proliferation of non-physical things like thoughts, problems, or rumors.
- Doubts began to pullulate as the evidence was presented.
- Used in biological or ecological contexts: Common in scientific writing to describe rapid growth or swarming behavior in organisms.
- The bacterial culture pullulated under ideal laboratory conditions.
Variants and Related Words
- Pullulation (n): The act or process of pullulating; rapid breeding or sprouting.
- The pullulation of startups in the tech hub was remarkable.
Synonyms
- Teem: To be full of or swarming with.
- Swarm: To move in or form a large, dense group.
- Sprout: To begin to grow; to put forth shoots.
- Multiply: To increase greatly in number.
- Germinate: To begin to grow or develop.
Related Phrasal Verbs
(This word does not commonly form phrasal verbs.)
Related Idioms
(There are no common idioms specifically using the word "pullulate".)
Verb
- breed freely and abundantly
- become abundant; increase rapidly
- produce buds, branches, or germinate
- the potatoes sprouted
- move in large numbers
- people were pouring out of the theater
- beggars pullulated in the plaza
- be teeming, be abuzz
- The garden was swarming with bees
- The plaza is teeming with undercover policemen
- her mind pullulated with worries