generate
Americanverb (used with object)
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generates,
present (3rd person singular)
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generated,
past participle, past
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generating
present participle
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to bring into existence; cause to be; produce.
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to create by a vital or natural process.
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to create and distribute vitally and profusely.
He generates ideas that we all should consider.
A good diplomat generates good will.
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to reproduce; procreate.
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to produce by a chemical process.
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Mathematics.
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to trace (a figure) by the motion of a point, straight line, or curve.
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to act as base for all the elements of a given set.
The number 2 generates the set 2, 4, 8, 16.
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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)
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generates,
present (3rd person singular)
-
generated,
past participle, past
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generating
present participle
verb
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to produce or bring into being; create
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(also intr) to produce (electricity), esp in a power station
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to produce (a substance) by a chemical process
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maths linguistics to provide a precise criterion or specification for membership in (a set)
these rules will generate all the noun phrases in English
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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
Derived Forms
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pregenerateverb (used with object)
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intergeneratingadjective
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nongeneratingadjective
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ungeneratedadjective
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ungeneratingadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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generatesimple
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generatessimple
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have generatedperfect
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has generatedperfect
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am generatingprogressive
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are generatingprogressive
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is generatingprogressive
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have been generatingperfect progressive
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has been generatingperfect progressive
Past
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generatedsimple
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had generatedperfect
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was generatingprogressive
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were generatingprogressive
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had been generatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of generate
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Latin generātus “begotten, produced,” past participle of generāre “to beget”; see genus
Explanation
Generate means produce or create. A good stock pick might generate cash, and a good idea might generate the basis for an Oscar-winning film. Generate and the closely related word generation both come from the Latin word genus, which means "stock or race." Its root, in turn, is the Proto-Indo-European gen-, "to produce, give birth, or beget." Let's say you have two siblings. In that case, your parents' marriage has generated three children. In a hydroelectric power plant, water generates power. And you can get a paper route or babysit if you're looking to generate a little income.
Vocabulary lists containing generate
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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:
In all cases though, the transfers included significant sell-on and buy-back clauses, which is part of a strategy by United to generate more revenue from player sales.
From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026
A cute AI agent is likely to generate more traction among consumers than a utilitarian large language model, Steinwold said.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 3, 2026
When asked to generate a proof, they would produce a text that looked like a proof but was logically incoherent.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026
Instead, they generate abnormal blood cells that cannot perform these essential jobs.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 2, 2026
Kepler distinguished between a geometrical hypothesis—the mathematical model used to generate predictions—and an astronomical hypothesis, the actual path of the planet through the heavens.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
Scientists have become increasingly interested in urolithin A because of its associations with healthy aging and mitochondrial function, a process in the body which generates energy.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 28, 2026
The most famous are "lying flat", when people opt out of the rat race entirely, and "involution", a rather clunky term now commonly used to describe intense competition which generates little meaningful reward.
From BBC ● Sep. 26, 2026
Amazon is an e-commerce platform, but it also generates about 10% of its revenue from advertising.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 21, 2026
Manufacturing generates $382 billion a year for California and supports 1.24 million jobs, he said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026
But what is the engine that generates natural variation in the wild?
From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee
When the most recent transfer window closed on 1 September, they had generated £47m from sales.
From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026
Zircon crystals can also preserve microscopic structures created by the intense pressures generated during an impact.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 4, 2026
Restaurant margins are brutal, and a generated image costs less than a photo shoot.
From Salon ● Oct. 3, 2026
A long-term share in the revenue generated by those facilities, might turn out to be more persuasive, bringing the interests of data-center builders and host communities closer.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026
When a “translation request” was generated by a cell, a photocopy of the original was summoned from the vault of the nucleus.
From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee
The only thing I can think of that’s worse than getting stuck on Greatest Hits or Top 40 is pushing a button and generating “infinite personalized music” with no human influence.
From Salon ● Oct. 4, 2026
Gut bacteria produce the compound while generating energy from histidine, an amino acid that is essential for human health and found in many foods, particularly foods rich in protein.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 3, 2026
Case Keenum reads the defense and gets the ball out fast; coach Ben Johnson’s offense is strong, and the defense is generating turnovers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
The agreement will support more than $3 billion in investments, including plant improvements and the increase in generating capacity.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 2026
It was the hour of a profound human change, and excitement was generating on the air.
From " The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald
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.
