create
Americanverb (used with object)
-
creates,
present (3rd person singular)
-
created,
past participle, past
-
creating
present participle
-
to cause to come into being, as something unique that would not naturally evolve or that is not made by ordinary processes.
-
to evolve from one's own thought or imagination, as a work of art or an invention.
-
Theater. to perform (a role) for the first time or in the first production of a play.
-
to make by investing with new rank or by designating; constitute; appoint.
to create a peer.
-
to be the cause or occasion of; give rise to.
The announcement created confusion.
-
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.
verb (used without object)
-
creates,
present (3rd person singular)
-
created,
past participle, past
-
creating
present participle
-
to do something creative or constructive.
-
British. to make a fuss.
adjective
verb
-
(tr) to cause to come into existence
-
(tr) to invest with a new honour, office, or title; appoint
-
(tr) to be the cause of
these circumstances created the revolution
-
(tr) to act (a role) in the first production of a play
-
(intr) to be engaged in creative work
-
slang (intr) to make a fuss or uproar
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
-
intercreateverb (used with object)
-
creatableadjective
-
self-creatingadjective
-
uncreatableadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
createsimple
-
createssimple
-
have createdperfect
-
has createdperfect
-
am creatingprogressive
-
are creatingprogressive
-
is creatingprogressive
-
have been creatingperfect progressive
-
has been creatingperfect progressive
Past
-
createdsimple
-
had createdperfect
-
was creatingprogressive
-
were creatingprogressive
-
had been creatingperfect progressive
Future
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.
Vocabulary lists containing create
NAEP Test Words
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
List 2
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Common Core Grade 5, List 2
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
Roblox is a highly customizable gaming platform where users can create their own games and related content, and then share them for others to play and even purchase.
From Barron's ● Sep. 11, 2026
There’s no other way to create an artistic legacy.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026
Canva’s Global Job Seeker Survey showed that approximately 57% of job seekers used AI to create their resumes in 2024, while another survey from data firm Clutch put that number at 84% in 2026.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 11, 2026
They can also create avoidable costs for the healthcare system.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 11, 2026
Alas, there was a difference between fantasy football and fantasy finance: When a fantasy football player drafts Peyton Manning to be on his team, he doesn’t create a second Peyton Manning.
From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis
That process can take considerable time, and every additional cycle creates another opportunity for outside disturbances to interfere with the calculation.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 11, 2026
“If you actually said you’re responsible for the crimes your AI creates, you would slow things down,” he said.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 11, 2026
“Cold storage is not a risk to communities — it is an essential service that lowers food costs, expands food access and creates jobs.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 10, 2026
The analogy often used is that of a wish-granting genie with a magic lamp: they follow the exact letter of an instruction, even if doing so creates other problems.
From BBC ● Sep. 9, 2026
In fact, there is a strength, a power even, in understanding brokenness, because embracing our brokenness creates a need and desire for mercy, and perhaps a corresponding need to show mercy.
From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson
The company discovered in July that rogue AI agents had schemed in secret to break out of the virtual sandbox created to contain them, infiltrating the open internet and hacking a private company.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026
Starting in boyhood, an American designer and artist named Donald Evans created thousands of fictitious stamps from nonexistent countries, using a typewriter to punch out the perforations.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026
The briefs - many still heavily redacted - were created during both the Clinton and Bush administrations.
From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2026
New agencies were created out of whole cloth to fight the supposed invasion of enemies who didn’t bother to wear uniforms.
From Salon ● Sep. 11, 2026
They created them only to hear how plausible they sounded when pitched to each other.
From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis
It was Khachanov who settled quickest into the tie-break, opening up a lead and creating two set points - both of which were saved by Zverev.
From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2026
Scientists say a near-record strength El Nino climate episode is warming the ocean's waters and creating extra volatility.
From Barron's ● Sep. 11, 2026
The impact destroyed Theia and sent its remains into orbit around Earth, creating a disk of debris that eventually assembled into the Moon.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 11, 2026
Even now, it is music Carter turns to most while creating or on set.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026
“The ocean has flooded into lowland areas, creating new islands and waterways. As a result, the ocean currents are always changing, which makes them hard to predict.”
From "The Wild Robot Protects" by Peter Brown
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.
