metastasize

verb

me·​tas·​ta·​size mə-ˈta-stə-ˌsīz How to pronounce metastasize (audio)
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
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.
The post-treatment scan showed my cancer had metastasized to my other lung. — Stat Staff, STAT, 23 Oct. 2026 All the prejudices my characters are designed to expose haven’t just lingered—they’ve metastasized. — Lars Brandle, Billboard, 21 Oct. 2026 Almost as alarming as the incidents themselves has been the government’s refusal to acknowledge a pattern of abuse that is clearly metastasizing at the Department of Homeland Security. — Jonathan Blitzer, New Yorker, 4 Oct. 2026 To Catch a Predator began as a Dateline NBC segment and evolved — metastasized? — David Fear, Rolling Stone, 23 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for metastasize

Word History

First Known Use

1907, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of metastasize was in 1907

Rhymes for metastasize

See All Rhymes for metastasize

Browse Nearby Words

metastasis
metastasize
metasternal
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Metastasize.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/metastasize. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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Kids Definition

metastasize

verb
me·​tas·​ta·​size mə-ˈtas-tə-ˌsīz How to pronounce metastasize (audio)
: 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 How to pronounce metastasize (audio)
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 How to pronounce metastasize (audio)
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