Synonyms

emanate

American

[em-uh-nayt] / ˈɛm əˌneɪt /

verb (used without object)

to flow out, issue, or proceed, as from a source or origin; come forth; originate.

Synonyms:

flow, spring, arise

verb (used with object)

to send forth; emit.

emanate British

/ ˈɛməˌneɪt /

verb

to issue or proceed from or as from a source
(tr) to send forth; emit

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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

Inflected Forms

Participles

Conjugated Forms

Present

Past

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.

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

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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:

emanate emanates emanated emanating

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

Specifically, she never clarifies for us whether the threats faced by her characters are external and real, or whether they emanate from deep within themselves.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 24, 2025

These stories emanate a time in our lives when being practical wasn’t the most important thing.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 20, 2025

The noise seemed to emanate in rays from the page; she felt these on her face, a warm mask of embarrassment.

From "Typical American" by Gish Jen

The light emanates from a glow-in-the-dark ice lolly.

From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026

Mr. Simms, a historian at the University of Cambridge, is no sentimentalist, and the tone of his book emanates a bracing realism.

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

There’s a stillness, a calm, that he emanates.

From "X: A Novel" by Ilyasah Shabazz

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

Egg-size boils covered their faces, thick green veins pushed hard against sickly yellow skin, and a decaying stench emanated from them, almost as bad as the one from that night I'd met Sidana and Idiptu.

From "City of the Plague God" by Sarwat Chadda

The two inspectors “noted the particular odor emanating from the dumping of putrescent food waste,” according to the notice.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 31, 2026

But only Curry could create the kind of monster Scott wanted – a villain emanating something more complex than evil.

From Salon ● Aug. 26, 2026

"This underscores the resiliency of the economy in the face of the energy price shock emanating from the war in the Middle East."

From Barron's ● Jul. 30, 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

I was still frightened of the hostility I sometimes felt emanating from him, and I was still tongue-tied whenever I pictured his perfect face.

From "Twilight" by Stephenie Meyer

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023