metastasize: Meaning and Definition of

me•tas•ta•size

Pronunciation: (mu-tas'tu-sīz"), [key]
— -sized, -siz•ing.
  1. (of malignant cells or disease-producing organisms) to spread to other parts of the body by way of the blood or lymphatic vessels or membranous surfaces.
  2. to spread injuriously: Street gangs have metastasized in our city.
  3. to transform, esp. into a dangerous form: The KGB metastasized after the fall of the Soviet Union. Truth metastasized into lurid fantasy.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
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