derive

American  

[dih-rahyv] / dɪˈraɪv /

verb (used with object)

derives, present (3rd person singular) derived, past participle, past deriving present participle

1. to receive or obtain from a source or origin (usually followed byfrom ).

   Synonyms:

   net, reap, gather, glean, attain, gain

2. to trace from a source or origin.

   English words derived from German.

3. to reach or obtain by reasoning; deduce; infer.

4. Chemistry. to produce or obtain (a substance) from another.

5. Grammar. to create (a new linguistic form) by adding affixes to or changing the shape of a root or base.

   The word “runner” is derived from “run.”

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verb (used without object)

derives, present (3rd person singular) derived, past participle, past deriving present participle

1. to come from a source or origin; originate (often followed byfrom ).

derive British  

/ dɪˈraɪv /

verb

1. (usually foll by from) to draw or be drawn (from) in source or origin; trace or be traced

2. (tr) to obtain by reasoning; deduce; infer

3. (tr) to trace the source or development of

4. (usually foll by from) to produce or be produced (from) by a chemical reaction

5. maths to obtain (a function) by differentiation

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• deriver
  noun
• prederive
  verb (used with object)
• derivable
  adjective
• nonderivable
  adjective
• underivable
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• deriving
  present
• derived
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• derive
  simple
• derives
  simple
• have derived
  perfect
• has derived
  perfect
• am deriving
  progressive
• are deriving
  progressive
• is deriving
  progressive
• have been deriving
  perfect progressive
• has been deriving
  perfect progressive

Past

• derived
  simple
• had derived
  perfect
• was deriving
  progressive
• were deriving
  progressive
• had been deriving
  perfect progressive

Future

• will derive
  simple
• will have derived
  perfect
• will be deriving
  progressive
• will have been deriving
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of derive

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English diriven, deriven “to flow, draw from, spring,” from Anglo-French, Old French deriver, from Latin dērīvāre “to lead off,” equivalent to dē- de- + rīv(us) “a stream” + -āre infinitive suffix

Explanation

If you want to talk about something that comes from something else, but you want to sound sophisticated and maybe financial or scientific, use derive, like so: That scent? It's derived from a solution of roses boiled with toothpicks. The word derive derives from (see how we did that?) the Latin rivus or stream, as in water. That image of the stream may help you remember the meaning of derive; you may picture tracing tiny streams back to their main source. Derive is a verb, as you can see, but it's often in the news in the noun form derivative: something that is derived from something else, as in "juice is a derivative of an orange."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

derive derives derived deriving

While the combined company’s network holdings, which include CNN, CBS, MTV and Nickelodeon, still derive about $35 billion in annual revenue, the sector remains under pressure from cord-cutting and ad declines.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026

In contrast, the other family, which doesn't derive its income from AI or the tech world, had to instead move to a more suburban Bay Area town to the north.

From BBC ● Jul. 8, 2026

Whatever the precise reasons for the breaks, and whether they are needed physically or not, Jagielka feels coaches can derive huge benefits from them, especially if a team is underperforming.

From BBC ● Jun. 13, 2026

In 2027, the combined entity should derive around 80% of its Ebitda from copper, the price of which is set to remain high over the medium term, he adds.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 12, 2026

He withdrew a piece of paper, unfolded it, and read, "What is the meaning of the word calligraphy and from what language does it derive?"

From "The View From Saturday" by E.L. Konigsburg

Most of its revenue—57% in its most recent quarter—still derives from handset sales.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 16, 2026

HouseCanary, in turn, derives its listings from multiple-listing services, a vast network of local organizations that agents use to share homes for sale with each other.

From Barron's ● Jun. 11, 2026

The film derives its title from the girl’s interest in “Little Irène,” a painting by influential French impressionist Pierre-Auguste Renoir.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 5, 2026

Mostly the comedy in “The Sheep Detectives” derives from slapstick high jinks.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 7, 2026

This principle of ever-more-exact measurement derives from Tycho Brahe; in tightening up the relationship between evidence and theory in physics, Galileo was extrapolating from the practices of the astronomers.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

The BEA previously derived its legal data from an unpublished survey in the consumer-price index that had an unusually small sample size.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 22, 2026

To fire big ammunition, militaries need explosive chemicals derived from natural fibers that suddenly are in short supply.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026

On another occasion he had been hospitalised after eating marshmallows, which usually contain gelatin derived from animal parts.

From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026

FCC, a 1990s case that affirmed the constitutionality of regulations derived from the scarcity of broadcast licenses, despite the rise of cable television at that point.

From Salon ● Jul. 10, 2026

Take this entry on noun plurals, from, of all books, The New York Times Manual of Style and Usage: Nouns derived from foreign languages form plurals in different ways.

From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker

Since many of our waking hours are spent on the job, Ms. Vanderkam also focuses on deriving more satisfaction from work to avoid “wishing time away.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 8, 2026

A year ago, 13% of S&P 500 index constituents noted benefits deriving from AI adoption.

From MarketWatch ● Apr. 27, 2026

The chip maker is a major player in auto semiconductors, deriving around 55% to 60% of its revenue from the auto end market.

From Barron's ● Apr. 17, 2026

The imagery which depicted gods, goddesses, supreme preachers and enlightened souls of three ancient religions - Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism - was reimagined from symbolic to more recognisably deriving from human form.

From BBC ● Jun. 20, 2025

Perhaps it is a tribute to the origin of the word “circus,” deriving from the Greek kirkos meaning circle, or ring.

From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern

Related Words

• acquire
• assume
• collect
• determine
• develop
• evolve
• extract
• glean
• infer
• obtain
• receive