create
Americanverb (used with object)
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to cause to come into being, as something unique that would not naturally evolve or that is not made by ordinary processes.
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to evolve from one's own thought or imagination, as a work of art or an invention.
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Theater. to perform (a role) for the first time or in the first production of a play.
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to make by investing with new rank or by designating; constitute; appoint.
to create a peer.
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to be the cause or occasion of; give rise to.
The announcement created confusion.
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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)
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to do something creative or constructive.
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British. to make a fuss.
adjective
verb
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(tr) to cause to come into existence
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(tr) to invest with a new honour, office, or title; appoint
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(tr) to be the cause of
these circumstances created the revolution
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(tr) to act (a role) in the first production of a play
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(intr) to be engaged in creative work
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slang (intr) to make a fuss or uproar
Other Word Forms
- creatable adjective
- intercreate verb (used with object)
- self-creating adjective
- uncreatable adjective
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
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.
“The community embraced this project as something that reflects them in a way that they want to be reflected, and that, for me, is one of my goals whenever I do create a film.”
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 2, 2026
"It would create profit when all they're doing is swapping players. So it was basically a way of getting around the regulations, increasing your limits and these academy players were being used as commodities."
From BBC • Apr. 2, 2026
Rising gas costs, along with higher costs for groceries and rent, create financial stress that can follow employees into the workplace, they noted.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 1, 2026
Earlier this year, the administration weighed a plan to create three tiers of different tariff levels, but ultimately decided on an even simpler proposal.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 2026
Tom Kane understood that great deeds, talents, or discoveries do not create celebrity, media attention does.
From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock
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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.