metastasize
verb
me·tas·ta·size
mə-ˈta-stə-ˌsīz 
metastasized; metastasizing
: to spread or grow by or as if by metastasis
died of lung cancer which had metastasized throughout his body—
G. P. Elliott
G. P. Elliott
Examples of metastasize in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Mom and son’s royal ambitions metastasize from there, leading to family backbiting, a beheading or two, murder, death and more plots.
—Randy Myers, The Mercury News, 4 Apr. 2024
But as Yoong’s experience grimly shows, the Golden Triangle’s criminal reboot has metastasized beyond narcotics.
—TIME, 21 Mar. 2024
For others, the anger of those pandemic days has metastasized into a deeper lack of faith in politics.
—Reid J. Epstein, New York Times, 24 Mar. 2024
My sister was diagnosed with non-small cell lung cancer that metastasized to her bones.
—Letter Writers, Twin Cities, 11 Feb. 2024
She was initially diagnosed with Stage III HER2+ PR/ER IDC breast cancer, which progressed to Stage 4 after metastasizing to her lungs.
—Sandra Rose Salathe, Peoplemag, 11 Oct. 2023
Just like humans, our canine friends can also develop soft tissue sarcomas underneath their skin, which can metastasize and spread with fatal consequences.
—Juergen Eckhardt, Forbes, 22 Feb. 2024
In the fall of 2020, Robert Sachs was prescribed a medication to treat prostate cancer that had metastasized into some of his bones.
—Ed Silverman, STAT, 22 Jan. 2024
The strikes represent a significant escalation of U.S. involvement in the Middle East amid Israel’s war in Gaza − and perhaps the most dangerous escalation of a conflict that threatens to metastasize across the region.
—Tom Vanden Brook, USA TODAY, 13 Jan. 2024
Randy Myers, The Mercury News, 4 Apr. 2024
But as Yoong’s experience grimly shows, the Golden Triangle’s criminal reboot has metastasized beyond narcotics.
—TIME, 21 Mar. 2024
For others, the anger of those pandemic days has metastasized into a deeper lack of faith in politics.
—Reid J. Epstein, New York Times, 24 Mar. 2024
My sister was diagnosed with non-small cell lung cancer that metastasized to her bones.
—Letter Writers, Twin Cities, 11 Feb. 2024
She was initially diagnosed with Stage III HER2+ PR/ER IDC breast cancer, which progressed to Stage 4 after metastasizing to her lungs.
—Sandra Rose Salathe, Peoplemag, 11 Oct. 2023
Just like humans, our canine friends can also develop soft tissue sarcomas underneath their skin, which can metastasize and spread with fatal consequences.
—Juergen Eckhardt, Forbes, 22 Feb. 2024
In the fall of 2020, Robert Sachs was prescribed a medication to treat prostate cancer that had metastasized into some of his bones.
—Ed Silverman, STAT, 22 Jan. 2024
The strikes represent a significant escalation of U.S. involvement in the Middle East amid Israel’s war in Gaza − and perhaps the most dangerous escalation of a conflict that threatens to metastasize across the region.
—Tom Vanden Brook, USA TODAY, 13 Jan. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'metastasize.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1907, in the meaning defined above
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Dictionary Entries Near metastasize
Cite this Entry
“Metastasize.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/metastasize. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.
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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
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
Paul Brodeur, The New YorkerLove words? Need even more definitions?
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