create

American  

[kree-eyt] / kriˈeɪt /

verb (used with object)

created, creating

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)

created, creating

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

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

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

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

Create a “tax map” with your accountant to estimate your brackets before and after your Social Security and RMDs.

From MarketWatch • Dec. 19, 2025

And she suggested replacing the contentious Let's Create strategy, which she said was widely seen as a straitjacket, "stifling artistic innovation and creativity".

From BBC • Dec. 16, 2025

Create two distinct committees with independent mandates: one focused on price stability and maximum employment and the other on systemic risk and oversight.

From Barron's • Dec. 10, 2025

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