originate
Americanverb (used without object)
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to take its origin or rise; begin; start; arise.
The practice originated during the Middle Ages.
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(of a train, bus, or other public conveyance) to begin a scheduled run at a specified place.
This train originates at Philadelphia.
verb (used with object)
verb
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to come or bring into being
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(intr) (of a bus, train, etc) to begin its journey at a specified point
Synonym Usage
See discover.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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originationnoun
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originatornoun
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self-originationnoun
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originableadjective
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self-originatedadjective
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self-originatingadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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originatesimple
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originatessimple
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have originatedperfect
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has originatedperfect
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am originatingprogressive
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are originatingprogressive
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is originatingprogressive
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have been originatingperfect progressive
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has been originatingperfect progressive
Past
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originatedsimple
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had originatedperfect
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was originatingprogressive
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were originatingprogressive
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had been originatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of originate
First recorded in 1645–55; probably back formation from origination (from French ), from Latin orīginātiō “etymology”; see origin, -ate 1, ion
Explanation
Originate is a verb that means to start or create something. You can originate the idea of adding a fancy new coffee machine to your company's break room, and before long, your entire office could be happily drinking mocha lattes. Originate is the place or point at which any new thing or idea starts. It usually doesn't end there, though. A carpet that originates in Turkey can travel all the way to an apartment in New York. A rumor can originate during first period, but by lunchtime it will have made its way around the entire high school.
Vocabulary lists containing originate
100 SAT words Beginning with "O"
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Jumpstart Your Vocab: Synonyms for "Begin"
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Ten Words from Today's NY Times - June 6, 2012
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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:
I assure you that it did not originate in The Onion.
From Salon ● Jul. 24, 2026
The freezer aisle, from whence many of its contents originate, does not do much to help the case.
From Salon ● Jul. 11, 2026
"A sustained effort is needed to tackle the root causes of poor behaviour, which often originate from challenges in children's lives outside the classroom, from poverty to mental health issues."
From BBC ● Jul. 9, 2026
Fat cells originate from precursor cells known as progenitor cells.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 3, 2026
The Whole Brainers believe that thoughts and commands can originate anywhere in the brain jelly/cloud and flash into action.
From "Phineas Gage" by John Fleischman
Further, a household can only deduct mortgage interest on a maximum of $750,000 of combined debt on the two properties when the debt originates on or after Dec. 15, 2017.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 30, 2026
It features an area called Scotland's Larder in which different regions take turns to highlight and sell food which originates from that area.
From BBC ● Jun. 28, 2026
Maybe it should use interest-rate and balance-sheet policy to lean against debt-fueled asset price appreciation, regardless of where that debt originates.
From Barron's ● Jun. 12, 2026
The modeling indicates that almost all of the TFA detected there originates from CFC replacement chemicals, despite the region being far removed from major sources of emissions.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 9, 2026
It does not matter if it originates in a misunderstanding.
From "Between the World and Me" by Ta-Nehisi Coates
“So far, no evidence has been found to indicate that it originated here, yet we are taking every precaution in case that turns out to be the case,” Kershenobich said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
The researchers expect that additional fieldwork in North Africa and the Middle East will uncover more fossils that clarify how modern apes originated and began to diversify.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 24, 2026
The formula, which originated in 1945, is as antiquated as drive-in theaters.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026
Last year, Morgan Stanley says, one-fifth of the buying demand for gold originated with ETFs, however that positive sentiment has been disrupted by the Gulf crisis, and the prospect of rate hikes.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 21, 2026
“Hey, Skip,” he greets me with, and I do not mind this, despite the fact that this nickname originated in the same era as “Fluff.”
From "The Misfits" by James Howe
If you’re unfamiliar with hobby horsing, it’s a sport originating from Finland that’s growing in popularity.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 16, 2026
Signals originating from BC6 spread through multiple visual pathways in an organized, hierarchical pattern.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 14, 2026
Under the restrictive measures, EU individuals and companies are prohibited from purchasing, importing or transporting gold originating in Sudan.
From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026
But it is worth remembering that inflationary forces originating with that accord helped cause the 1987 stock market crash.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 12, 2026
The Americas’ population now consists of a mixture of peoples originating from all continents except Australia.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
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.
