metastasize: Meaning and Definition of

me•tas•ta•size

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.