generate
Americanverb (used with object)
-
to bring into existence; cause to be; produce.
-
to create by a vital or natural process.
-
to create and distribute vitally and profusely.
He generates ideas that we all should consider.
A good diplomat generates good will.
-
to reproduce; procreate.
-
to produce by a chemical process.
-
Mathematics.
-
to trace (a figure) by the motion of a point, straight line, or curve.
-
to act as base for all the elements of a given set.
The number 2 generates the set 2, 4, 8, 16.
-
-
Linguistics. to produce or specify (a grammatical sentence or other construction or set of constructions) by the application of a rule or set of rules in a generative grammar.
verb (used without object)
verb
-
to produce or bring into being; create
-
(also intr) to produce (electricity), esp in a power station
-
to produce (a substance) by a chemical process
-
maths linguistics to provide a precise criterion or specification for membership in (a set)
these rules will generate all the noun phrases in English
-
geometry to trace or form by moving a point, line, or plane in a specific way
circular motion of a line generates a cylinder
Other Word Forms
- intergenerating adjective
- nongenerating adjective
- pregenerate verb (used with object)
- ungenerated adjective
- ungenerating adjective
Etymology
Origin of generate
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Latin generātus “begotten, produced,” past participle of generāre “to beget”; genus
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.
To say, the post went viral is to understate the interest it generated.
From MarketWatch
Before that athletics had been largely amateur until the 1980s, when athletes were left to generate their own income if they wanted to turn professional.
From BBC
He cautioned that higher defence spending "in itself will not generate permanently higher growth potential" but said it was nevertheless important that "there is finally a sign of life from industry".
From Barron's
There’s also an opportunity cost: Gold doesn’t generate income or dividends, so any money you put in results in lost income, points out Charles E. Rinehart, chief investment officer of Johnson Investment Counsel in Cincinnati.
From Barron's
BBC Verify thought they showed some of the signs of being AI generated.
From BBC
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.
