generalize

1. V-I If you generalize, you say something that seems to be true in most situations or for most people, but that may not be completely true in all cases. 概括

Critics love to generalize, to formulate trends into which all new work must be fitted, however contradictory. 评论家喜欢概括，归纳出所有新作品都必须符合的趋势，不管它们是如何地不符。

2. V-T If you generalize something such as an idea, you apply it more widely than its original context, as if it was true in many other situations. 普及

A child first labels the household pet cat as a "cat" and then generalizes this label to other animals that look like it. 孩子先把家养的宠物猫称为“猫”，然后把这个称呼扩大到其他看起来像猫的动物。