emanate
Americanverb (used without object)
verb (used with object)
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:
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
These stories emanate a time in our lives when being practical wasn’t the most important thing.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 20, 2025
She was tall and willowy with long blonde hair and appeared to emanate a faint, silvery glow.
From "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" by J.K. Rowling
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
The messaging that emanates from these figures steers people away from the traditional work ethic.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026
This stark warning emanates from one of Wall Street’s most respected commentators, Bank of America chief equity strategist Michael Hartnett.
From MarketWatch ● Feb. 27, 2026
The increase emanates from Wall Street’s higher expectations for inflation—to an annual average rate of 2.32% from about 2.2%.
From Barron's ● Jan. 26, 2026
I blink at the fluorescent lights in the room; a faint buzz emanates from them and reminds me of the lights in my high school library.
From "Internment" by Samira Ahmed
"This agency actually emanated and found itself in the budget from the executive," he said - meaning it came from within the president's own side of government, not from parliament.
From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026
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
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
The building emanated cold, and we shivered and jammed our hands into our pockets against it.
From "Hollow City" by Ransom Riggs
Donis said multiple people reached out with complaints of a foul smell emanating from the river.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 13, 2026
Still they say yes—freely, cheerfully, wholeheartedly—and the love emanating from the packed pews at the Cathedral of St. Agnes speaks to the hope these men represent.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 22, 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
The smell is "like excrement," said 68-year-old Patricio Velasquez, who shuts himself inside every summer due to the odor emanating from the dump.
From Barron's ● May 13, 2026
The shades were drawn, so I couldn’t see in, but there was enough light emanating from behind the shades that I could tell he wasn’t asleep.
From "From Twinkle, with Love" by Sandhya Menon
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.
