Synonyms

emanate

American

[em-uh-neyt] / ˈɛm əˌneɪt /

verb (used without object)

to flow out, issue, or proceed, as from a source or origin; come forth; originate.

Synonyms:

flow, spring, arise

verb (used with object)

to send forth; emit.

emanate British

/ ˈɛməˌneɪtərɪ, ˈɛməˌneɪt, -trɪ, ˈɛmənətɪv /

verb

to issue or proceed from or as from a source
(tr) to send forth; emit

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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

Inflected Forms

Participles

Conjugated Forms

Present

Past

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.

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

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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:

emanate emanates emanated emanating

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

Critics say Ola's troubles emanate from typical culture issues that plague many start-ups - including CEO-driven decision-making, constant pivots and unrealistic, high-pressure deadlines.

From BBC ● Apr. 17, 2025

The crying seemed to emanate from outside the darkened window.

From "Fablehaven" by Brandon Mull

The light emanates from a glow-in-the-dark ice lolly.

From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026

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

To all of us, to be technically correct, since it emanates from the speakers of Los Angeles International Airport’s Terminal 6.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026

The pungent smell of death emanates from the Caracas morgue, an odour that thousands of liters of donated chlorine cannot mask.

From Barron's ● Jun. 30, 2026

A faint hum emanates from the dark metal.

From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer

Additionally, 85 million pounds of food thawed, burned and spoiled inside, creating a terrible smell that emanated from the property.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 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

There are the standards Salah helped to set that emanated through the club in his and Liverpool's quest for greatness.

From BBC ● May 23, 2026

There was a faint smell of dirty socks, which emanated from a pair of sneakers next to the front door.

From "The First State of Being" by Erin Entrada Kelly

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

There are also the 85 million pounds of food that thawed, burned and spoiled inside, creating a terrible smell emanating from the property.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 2026

Adding to the financial pain, local households struggling with a spike in inflation emanating from the regional crisis are holding off on buying the fruit, depressing domestic sales.

From Barron's ● Jun. 21, 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

He reached out and stroked her hair, and she could feel an icy chill emanating from his hand.

From "Ash" by Malinda Lo

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023