perpetuate

Everyday

1. To make something continue for a long time, often something bad like a myth, an unfair idea or a problem. tree →
2. To keep a memory or name alive: "The statue perpetuates his memory." tree →

In the lessons

In school discussions, "perpetuate a stereotype" means keep an unfair idea going by repeating it; "perpetuate a myth" means keep spreading a false story. In history, monuments perpetuate the memory of people and events. Formal word.

Examples

• Jokes like that perpetuate unkind stereotypes. tree →
• The film perpetuates the myth that bats are blind. tree →
• Sharing fake news perpetuates lies. tree →
• The scholarship perpetuates the memory of a kind teacher. tree →
• Poverty can perpetuate itself from parents to children. tree →
• We must not perpetuate unfair rules. tree →
• Or perhaps she had really desired the son instead of the father, and her thwarted desire had perpetuated itself as hate. tree →

Note

Formal regular verb. Trap: "perpetuate" (keep going) vs "perpetrate" (commit a crime). Related: perpetual (lasting for ever). Myth check: bats are not blind.