emanate
Americanverb (used without object)
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emanates,
present (3rd person singular)
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emanated,
past participle, past
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emanating
present participle
verb (used with object)
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emanates,
present (3rd person singular)
-
emanated,
past participle, past
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emanating
present participle
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:
It was quickly wiped out as Iran's push for a winner intensified, Mehdi Taremi scudding the bar, causing a visible gasp to emanate from the table below.
From BBC ● Jun. 27, 2026
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
She crawls along the center beam, from which the narrow planks of flooring emanate, toward the stone bulk of the chimney at the far end.
From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr
The light emanates from a glow-in-the-dark ice lolly.
From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026
Mr. Anderson drives home the point that the Smithsonian’s ethos emanates from its leadership.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026
It emanates from a source of gratitude — gratitude for the opportunity to do meaningful work.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 6, 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
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
As the audience on the platform listened in disbelief, a higher note came from the train as it approached, and a lower note emanated as it sped away.
From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee
This conversation, which took place in a backstage trailer vibrating from the country and hip-hop tunes emanating from nearby stages, has been edited for length and clarity.
From Salon ● Sep. 30, 2026
The U.S. is forecast to grow faster than other major economies in the years ahead, propelled by the AI boom emanating from Silicon Valley and robust consumer spending.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026
Pakistan has previously blamed the violence in border provinces on militant activity emanating from Afghanistan.
From Barron's ● Aug. 2, 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
The dwarf buttoned his back flap, which had been blasted open by the gale emanating from his nether regions.
From "Artemis Fowl" by Eoin Colfer
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.
