metastasize
verb
me·tas·ta·size
| \ mə-ˈta-stə-ˌsīz
\
\
metastasized;
metastasizing
Definition of metastasize
: to spread or grow by or as if by metastasis
died of lung cancer which had metastasized throughout his body— G. P. Elliott
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Examples of metastasize in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
What began with tariffs on steel last summer has metastasized into a massive trade conflict that has stalled two of the most powerful engines in the global economy. — Taylor Telford, Washington Post, "Trump backpedals on China threats as trade deal shows signs of slipping away," 30 July 2019 What began with tariffs on steel last summer has metastasized into a massive trade conflict that has affected two of the most powerful engines in the global economy. — Taylor Telford, oregonlive.com, "Trump backpedals on China threats as trade deal shows signs of slipping away," 30 July 2019 Lori Conners, 64, suffered from ovarian cancer that had metastasized, the affidavit said. — Lauren Del Valle, CNN, "A Connecticut man is charged with manslaughter for allegedly assisting in wife's suicide," 21 June 2019 Because a cure would not be achievable, the goal would instead be to keep the tumor from growing and metastasizing for as long as possible. — Robert Gatenby, Scientific American, "Darwin’s Ideas on Evolution Drive a Radical New Approach to Cancer Drug Use," 3 Aug. 2019 In 1994, when his mother, iconic former first lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, was told by doctors in New York that her lymphoma had metastasized and that there was no more that could be done, her son, John, was on his way to Los Angeles. — Lisa Birnbach, Washington Post, "The almost-charmed life of JFK Jr.," 11 July 2019 Until the end of 2017, when Charles Manson died of cardiac arrest and respiratory failure triggered by the colon cancer that had metastasized throughout his body. — Los Angeles Times, "Mass murderer? Cult leader? Musician? Charles Manson’s son wrestles with father’s legacy," 18 July 2019 The Nasdaq composite, laden with technology stocks, sank 2.9 percent after a flurry of bad news about specific companies metastasized into a broad retreat from technology stocks. — Matt Phillips, New York Times, "Technology Companies Drag Stock Markets Down Again," 27 Mar. 2018 Once tumor cells strike out on their own and metastasize to new sites in the body, drugs and other therapies rarely do more than prolong a patient’s life for a few years. — Gabriel Popkin, Quanta Magazine, "Jammed Cells Expose the Physics of Cancer," 16 Aug. 2016These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'metastasize.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for metastasize
metastasize
intransitive verb
me·tas·ta·size
variants:
also British metastasise \ mə-ˈtas-tə-ˌsīz
\
\
metastasized
also British metastasised;
metastasizing
also British metastasising
Medical Definition of metastasize
: 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, 9 July 1990
Other Words from metastasize
metastasization
also British metastasisation \ mə-ˌtas-tə-sə-ˈzā-shən
\
noun
\
noun