create

American  

[kree-eyt] / kriˈeɪt /

verb (used with object)

creates, present (3rd person singular) created, past participle, past creating present participle

1. to cause to come into being, as something unique that would not naturally evolve or that is not made by ordinary processes.

2. to evolve from one's own thought or imagination, as a work of art or an invention.

   Synonyms:

   invent, contrive, devise, initiate, originate

3. Theater. to perform (a role) for the first time or in the first production of a play.

4. to make by investing with new rank or by designating; constitute; appoint.

   to create a peer.

5. to be the cause or occasion of; give rise to.

   The announcement created confusion.

6. to cause to happen; bring about; arrange, as by intention or design.

   to create a revolution; to create an opportunity to ask for a raise.

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verb (used without object)

creates, present (3rd person singular) created, past participle, past creating present participle

1. to do something creative or constructive.

2. British. to make a fuss.

adjective

1. Archaic. created.

create British  

/ kriːˈeɪt /

verb

1. (tr) to cause to come into existence

2. (tr) to invest with a new honour, office, or title; appoint

3. (tr) to be the cause of

   these circumstances created the revolution

4. (tr) to act (a role) in the first production of a play

5. (intr) to be engaged in creative work

6. slang (intr) to make a fuss or uproar

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• uncreatable
  adjective
• self-creating
  adjective
• creatable
  adjective
• intercreate
  verb (used with object)

Conjugated Forms

Present

• has created
  perfect 3rd person singular
• have created
  perfect
• has been creating
  perfect progressive 3rd person singular
• are creating
  progressive
• is creating
  progressive 3rd person singular
• creating
  participle
• have been creating
  perfect progressive
• creates
  singular 3rd person
• am creating
  progressive 1st person singular

Past

• had created
  perfect
• was creating
  progressive singular
• had been creating
  perfect progressive
• created
  participle
• created
  simple
• were creating
  progressive plural

Future

• will create
  simple
• will have created
  perfect
• will have been creating
  perfect progressive
• will be creating
  progressive

Etymology

Origin of create

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English creat (past participle), from Latin creātus, equivalent to creā- (stem of creāre “to make”) + -tus past participle suffix

Explanation

To create simply means to make or bring into existence. Bakers create cakes, ants create problems at picnics, and you probably created a few imaginary friends when you were little. Similar to conceive and spawn and the exact opposite of destroy, create is a word that often implies a little bit of imagination. In fact, it takes a lot of creativity to create something spectacular; that is, unless you're a robot, and then your creations occur automatically. Or Mother Nature, where creation just happens naturally: Birds create nests, the tides create waves, and snowstorms create days off from school.

Example Sentences

As we explain in our new book, Somebody Should Do Something: How Anyone Can Help Create Social Change, study after study shows how powerful the models we set can be.

From Slate • May 15, 2026

The scheme, also supported by industry body ScreenSkills, launched at a Create X Connect event in Digbeth on Thursday.

From BBC • May 14, 2026

There are, of course, costly workarounds to justify bigger windows, like adding balconies, said Nicholas Boys Smith, chairman of Create Streets, a think tank specializing in urban design.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 29, 2026

The game, designed by Japanese artist Kotake Create, drops you into a white-tiled subway corridor that you’ll encounter again and again until the keys to unlock the title escape are deduced.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 10, 2026

Create too big a wave, and we would swamp ourselves.

From "Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing" by Ted Conover

Related Words

• build
• conceive
• construct
• design
• devise
• discover
• establish
• forge
• form
• found
• generate
• initiate
• invent
• make
• organize
• plan
• produce
• set up
• shape
• spawn