Meaning & use
procreated
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“procreated” is a form of “procreate”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meaning
verbtransitive or intransitiveformal
Past form of procreate: produced young, usually by mating and giving birth, so that a new generation exists.
Grammar: Can stand alone (the pair procreated) or take an object (they procreated several offspring), though the first is far more common.
Patterns
- someone procreated
- someone procreated something
The sanctuary reported that the two pandas had procreated for the first time in years.
Early settlers believed that a family which procreated freely would secure the farm's future.
Having procreated, the salmon swim no further and soon die.
Word forms
| base form | procreate |
|---|---|
| third person singular | procreates |
| -ing form | procreating |
Common combinations
- freely procreated
- Rabbits procreated freely once the predators disappeared from the island.
- procreated successfully
- The captive birds procreated successfully after the habitat was enlarged.
- procreated and raised
- The couple procreated and raised four children in the same village.
- had procreated
- By the time the survey ended, the colony had procreated beyond all expectations.
Synonyms and how they differ
- reproduced
- Reproduced is the usual scientific word and covers plants and cells as well as animals, while procreated sounds more about people and parenthood.
- bred
- Bred often suggests deliberate control by a keeper, whereas procreated just describes the natural act.
- begot
- Begot is archaic and focuses on the father as the one who creates a child, unlike the neutral procreated.
Opposites
Word family
- procreate verb
- to produce offspring
- procreation noun
- the act of producing young
- procreative adjective
- relating to producing young
- procreator noun
- a parent or begetter
Commonly confused: procreated or created?
procreated vs created
Created means made something new of any kind; procreated is limited to producing living offspring.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'procreated' correctly?
Choose one answer.
Procreated means produced offspring, so only the rabbits sentence fits. 'Created' would suit the other sentences, but procreated cannot describe bridges, rules or cakes.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “procreated”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.