emanate
Americanverb (used without object)
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emanates,
present (3rd person singular)
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emanated,
past participle, past
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emanating
present participle
verb (used with object)
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emanates,
present (3rd person singular)
-
emanated,
past participle, past
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emanating
present participle
verb
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to issue or proceed from or as from a source
-
(tr) to send forth; emit
Usage
What are other ways to say emanate?
To emanate is to flow out or proceed, as from a source or origin. How is emanate different from emerge and issue? Find out on Thesaurus.com.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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emanatornoun
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reemanateverb (used without object)
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emanativeadjective
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emanatoryadjective
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unemanativeadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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emanatesimple
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emanatessimple
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have emanatedperfect
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has emanatedperfect
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am emanatingprogressive
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are emanatingprogressive
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is emanatingprogressive
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have been emanatingperfect progressive
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has been emanatingperfect progressive
Past
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emanatedsimple
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had emanatedperfect
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was emanatingprogressive
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were emanatingprogressive
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had been emanatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of emanate
First recorded in 1780–90; from Latin ēmānātus “having flowed out” (past participle of ēmānāre ), equivalent to ē- “out of, from” + mān-, stem of mānāre “to flow, trickle” + -ātus adjective suffix; see e- 1, -ate 1
Explanation
Emanate means to give off, like the sound of laughter that emanates from your sister's room during her slumber party. If spooky sounds emanate from the closet, don’t open the door! The word emanate comes from the Latin emanare, which means “to flow out.” Things that emanate come from somewhere. Heat emanates from a fire, and smoke emanates from a chimney. This word can also be used figuratively: for example, you might say that your upbeat and optimistic best friend emanates positivity.
Vocabulary lists containing emanate
Tier 2 Words for the SBAC ELA Items
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"The Landlady" by Roald Dahl
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Declaration of the Rights of Woman (1791)
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
It was quickly wiped out as Iran's push for a winner intensified, Mehdi Taremi scudding the bar, causing a visible gasp to emanate from the table below.
From BBC ● Jun. 27, 2026
And it may again emanate from across the pond.
From MarketWatch ● May 6, 2026
Much of the rest of the bottom line growth would emanate from share repurchases, which reduces the number of shares and increases earnings per share.
From Barron's ● Mar. 19, 2026
But I can’t think of a better term to describe the bizarre hypotheses that emanate from almost every news event of national or international significance.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 23, 2025
First she went back to the parlor, from which a strained, piggylike squealing sound continued to emanate at regular intervals.
From "The Unseen Guest" by Maryrose Wood
The light emanates from a glow-in-the-dark ice lolly.
From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026
The messaging that emanates from these figures steers people away from the traditional work ethic.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026
To all of us, to be technically correct, since it emanates from the speakers of Los Angeles International Airport’s Terminal 6.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026
The most pressing issue emanates from Iran, which was the late February catalyst for the shaky performance.
From Barron's ● May 15, 2026
Katherine's smile reveals none of the discomfort that emanates from her.
From "Dread Nation" by Justina Ireland
For several years, stock-market leadership emanated from tech companies with spectacular earnings, low debt profiles and huge piles of cash.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 24, 2026
Both were in “the High Eighties,” as Le Guin put it, and the correspondence had a pleasing warmth that emanated from both sides.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 29, 2026
There are the standards Salah helped to set that emanated through the club in his and Liverpool's quest for greatness.
From BBC ● May 23, 2026
The guidance weakness emanated from its Optum unit, which offers physician services, fitness services, health data for other companies, and pharmacy benefits management.
From Barron's ● Jan. 29, 2026
In fact, they welcomed the mayhem that emanated from the talking box as if it were a plague of locusts at harvest time.
From "In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson" by Bette Bao Lord
The steam emanating from a fried zucchini fritter was…unnatural.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 2, 2026
Looking ahead: Strong consumer and business spending “underscores the resiliency of the economy in the face of the energy price shock emanating from the war in the Middle East,” said Nationwide Chief Economist Kathy Bostjancic.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 30, 2026
Donis said multiple people reached out with complaints of a foul smell emanating from the river.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 13, 2026
You continue to wander, and hear a cheerful female voice emanating from the enormous onstage speakers to inform everyone that water is available for purchase at any of the bar tents for just $4.
From Slate ● Jun. 16, 2026
“They were a gift,” I said, watching as the man squinted to avoid the glare of golden light emanating from La Llorona’s ear pendant and glinting directly into his eyes, momentarily blinding him.
From "Summer of the Mariposas" by Guadalupe García McCall
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
