1. to spread from one part of the body to another, as cancer cells do
Usage: chiefly British spelling; American English uses 'metastasize'; medical term
2. to spread or extend widely, as if by metastasis
Usage: figurative use

Examples

• The tumor began to metastasise to the lungs and liver.
• Doctors were concerned that the cancer might metastasise without immediate treatment.
• The infection threatened to metastasise throughout the patient's body.
• The problem metastasised from a single department into a company-wide crisis.
• Early detection can prevent the disease from metastasising.