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:
Alongside greenhouse gases, gas plants emit fine particulate matter, linked to a range of heart and lung problems; nitrogen oxides, which aggravate respiratory disease; and hazardous air pollutants including mercury, formaldehyde and benzene.
From Barron's ● Aug. 11, 2026
Scientists measure how often nuclei emit gamma rays at different energies using a quantity known as the gamma-ray strength function.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 31, 2026
They included bricks that would play snatches of the iconic theme song and emit coin-collecting sound effects as Mario characters moved around.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 18, 2026
Under the ETS, Europe's industries and power plants are required to buy a permit, or allowance, for every tonne of carbon dioxide they emit, creating a financial incentive to invest in cleaner technologies.
From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026
“That’s not a challenge. Those old video systems emit faint ion beams. Invisible to the naked eye, of course, but not with your iris-cam...”
From "Artemis Fowl" by Eoin Colfer
A single advanced chip fab can draw enormous amounts of water and electricity, and chip production as a whole emits well over 100 million tons of carbon equivalent a year.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 6, 2026
Residents might intermittently smell MMA, which emits a fruity odor, throughout the cleanup, but health officials said it will be only at concentrations below any threshold that would prompt health concerns.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 27, 2026
As gas and dust spiral inward, they form an accretion disk that emits enormous amounts of energy, including powerful X-rays.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 19, 2026
The American architect and artist created a contemplative moment with her two-part sculptural fountain: One stone lies flat as water bubbles up and over it, while an adjacent 11-foot-tall stone oculus emits a gentle mist.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 16, 2026
When the source emits the next wave crest it will be nearer to us, so the distance between wave crests will be smaller than when the star was stationary.
From "A Brief History of Time: And Other Essays" by Stephen Hawking
I told them I got mine hours ago and the group emitted a collective purr.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026
A June study by Allianz Trade estimated the centers emitted 286 million tonnes of carbon dioxide in 2025.
From Barron's ● Jul. 14, 2026
Bioluminescence is light emitted by living things as a result of chemical reactions within their bodies.
From BBC ● Jun. 25, 2026
The bloc’s carbon border adjustment mechanism adds a charge for certain imports based on the greenhouse gases that were emitted in their production.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 25, 2026
He twirled the wand between his long fingers like a baton and it emitted a number of pink and gold sparks.
From "Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire" by J. K. Rowling
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
The corrugated steel walls are filled with very dense foam that is burning slowly and emitting gases despite ongoing water drops from helicopters.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 20, 2026
Kevin Wagner, vice president of the medical sterilizer company Sterigenics, messaged asking that nine facilities emitting the carcinogenic gas ethylene oxide, including near Salt Lake City, Los Angeles, Charlotte and Atlanta, be exempted.
From Salon ● May 10, 2026
They are also highly efficient, emitting only heat and clean water, according to the company.
From Barron's ● Apr. 28, 2026
Such black holes would have a much higher temperature and would be emitting radiation at a much greater rate.
From "A Brief History of Time: And Other Essays" by Stephen Hawking
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.
