emit
Americanverb (used with object)
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emits,
present (3rd person singular)
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emitted,
past participle, past
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emitting
present participle
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to send forth (liquid, light, heat, sound, particles, etc.); discharge.
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to give forth or release (a sound).
He emitted one shrill cry and then was silent.
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to utter or voice, as opinions.
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to issue, as an order or a decree.
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to issue formally for circulation, as paper money.
verb
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to give or send forth; discharge
the pipe emitted a stream of water
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to give voice to; utter
she emitted a shrill scream
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physics to give off (radiation or particles)
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to put (currency) into circulation
Usage
What does emit mean? Emit means to release or discharge something, such as gas, liquid, heat, sound, light, or radiation. The process of emitting is called emission. Emission can also refer to something that has been emitted. A specific example of an emission is the exhaust emitted from cars (in the U. S., such emissions are regulated through emissions tests). This exhaust is just one form of carbon emissions—greenhouse gases emitted from various sources that are known to contribute to global warming and climate change. In things like TVs and light bulbs, the term LED stands for “light-emitting diode,” a semiconductor device that emits light when conducting current. Emit usually implies that things are being released in a passive way, but some senses of the word are more active. Emit sometimes specifically means to give off or make a sound, as in My cat emitted the worst sound when I accidentally stepped on his tail. It can also be used in a somewhat figurative way meaning to say or voice, as in She certainly emitted her opinion. Example: Collectively, volcanoes emit carbon dioxide at far lower levels than cars and airplanes.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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emitsimple
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emitssimple
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have emittedperfect
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has emittedperfect
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am emittingprogressive
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are emittingprogressive
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is emittingprogressive
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have been emittingperfect progressive
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has been emittingperfect progressive
Past
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emittedsimple
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had emittedperfect
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was emittingprogressive
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were emittingprogressive
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had been emittingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of emit
First recorded in 1620–30; from Latin ēmittere “to send forth,” from ē- e- 1 + mittere “to let go, send”
Explanation
To emit means to give off or let out, and it usually has a lot to do with gases, smells and noises. All of which could be potentially embarrassing, depending on where they're coming from. Lots of things can be emitted: body heat from your hands, high-pitched sound waves from a dog whistle, nasty odors from your mouth after a garlic-heavy lunch. Coming from the Latin emitter, it simply means to “send forth.” Since climate change is such a hot topic, you've probably heard people talking about how much CO₂ cars emit or how many greenhouse gases factories emit into the air.
Vocabulary lists containing emit
List 3
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Send a Message: Mit and Miss
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The SAT: Multiple-Meaning Words, List 8
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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:
But on the central point, the science is clear: the more greenhouse gases we emit, the warmer the planet will become.
From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2026
One of their waste products is carbon dioxide—but they emit less than the most efficient natural-gas engines.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026
If the data centers have bright lights and emit a lot of noise because of their cooling fans, “it changes the relatively quiet residential environment into something that’s constantly loud,” he said.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 4, 2026
Another has each qubit emit a photon, with the two photons then matched in an effort to generate entanglement.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 31, 2026
Electrons in the rotating magnetic field emit beamed radiation not only at radio frequencies but in visible light as well.
From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan
"A storm reveals itself in the faint natural signals it emits and in the echoes returned by the signals we send to prove it," she said.
From Barron's ● Sep. 28, 2026
Page also points out that, whether on fire or not, a drained peatland emits carbon dioxide into the atmosphere "all of the time".
From BBC ● Sep. 6, 2026
When X-rays interact with a sample, the sample emits photons.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 24, 2026
Unlike a nuclear-weapons program, an AI lab emits no radiation, handles no controlled materials, and leaves no atmospheric or seismic traces.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 9, 2026
The brass lamp on the round table between us emits an amber glow.
From "Orphan Train" by Christina Baker Kline
He emitted an air of great seriousness while also seeming nearly egoless.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026
Manufacturers also claimed their engines emitted less CO2 - although the green credentials have been challenged because they also release unburnt methane which is itself a very powerful greenhouse gas.
From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2026
The researchers also found that their calculations correctly describe how quantum effects can reduce fluctuations in the emitted light particles.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 19, 2026
I told them I got mine hours ago and the group emitted a collective purr.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026
They provided precise ionization data, spelled out their theory on how positrons emitted by the bombarded atoms transmuted into gamma rays, and carefully avoided any speculation about the significance of the new phenomenon.
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
Countries are investing in new power projects to meet energy security goals and phase out fossil fuels such as coal, which are blamed for emitting greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026
When Jimmy is passionately advocating for something and Kayla is in the same frame, she’s often gesticulating, scrunching up her face or emitting noises like “pffffft.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026
Corporal Joshua Swisher was conducting a traffic stop on a motorway when he was alerted to a nearby vehicle emitting smoke.
From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026
Consumption by data centres is projected to exceed 945 TWh by 2030, ranking sixth among countries and emitting 399 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent.
From Barron's ● Jun. 3, 2026
Eventually, they decay, emitting radiation in their new location.
From "Meltdown" by Deirdre Langeland
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.
