generate
Americanverb (used with object)
-
generates,
present (3rd person singular)
-
generated,
past participle, past
-
generating
present participle
-
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)
-
generates,
present (3rd person singular)
-
generated,
past participle, past
-
generating
present participle
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
Derived Forms
-
pregenerateverb (used with object)
-
intergeneratingadjective
-
nongeneratingadjective
-
ungeneratedadjective
-
ungeneratingadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
generatesimple
-
generatessimple
-
have generatedperfect
-
has generatedperfect
-
am generatingprogressive
-
are generatingprogressive
-
is generatingprogressive
-
have been generatingperfect progressive
-
has been generatingperfect progressive
Past
-
generatedsimple
-
had generatedperfect
-
was generatingprogressive
-
were generatingprogressive
-
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
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
The Watsons Go to Birmingham
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Words for Father's Day: What Fathers Do
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
Researchers hope the ongoing project will generate additional discoveries by collecting state-of-the-art brain imaging and other neurological data.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 16, 2026
The massive reservoir was at risk of falling below levels needed to generate hydropower.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026
Only one needs to develop into a Premier League regular for the strategy to potentially generate significant value.
From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026
In the coming years, he said India will have eight more semiconductor chip plants and five nuclear reactors which will generate 100 gigawatts of power by 2047.
From Barron's ● Aug. 15, 2026
“Something that big could certainly generate enough for a spark.”
From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss
The Cernavoda plant, which usually generates a fifth of Romania's electricity, has been shut down just once before, in 2003, due to drought.
From Barron's ● Aug. 13, 2026
"The Sun generates all the heat and the Moon is blocking out the Sun," he explained.
From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026
As users trade contracts — each one representing a bet for or against a given event, such as a certain candidate winning an election — the market generates odds.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026
The portfolio generates enough steady income that he and his wife don’t need to sell stocks to cover living expenses.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026
One of the most encouraging developments has come out of Australia, where renewable energy now generates enough power to run 70 percent of Australian homes.
From "1919 The Year That Changed America" by Martin W. Sandler
Armed with the cash generated by selling around a third of the club to Bezos and company, Liverpool will seek to dethrone Arsenal and claim a record 21st English title.
From Barron's ● Aug. 14, 2026
Since 2023, Netflix said its YA shows and movies have generated more than 10.5 billion global views.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026
The Shanghai-based contract chip maker said Thursday that it expects industrial momentum and the spillover effects generated by AI to persist, driving broad-based chip demand.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026
That profitability also means Rayo would be liable for a 25% tax charge on any additional profit generated from a sale, reducing the net value of any fee received.
From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026
Darwin was unsure how these variants were generated, another fact to which we will return in subsequent pages.
From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee
"Stiffening the joint makes walking safer, but it also means the muscles are working harder without generating as much forward movement," he says.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 16, 2026
"Our broadcast numbers are looking good, our online audiences are generating great numbers, and we're growing. We're doing great stuff, so I think it has been our best year."
From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026
Díaz took the mound and hit Andrew Vaughn with his seventh pitch, generating a smattering of boos.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 15, 2026
The Nodaway developers promise to build their own generating capacity, so the data center’s effect on the grid would be minor.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
This would drive some of the C02 out of the surface rocks, generating a stronger greenhouse effect, which would in turn incrementally heat the surface further.
From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan
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.
