generate

[ jen-uh-reyt ]

/ ˈdʒɛn əˌreɪt /

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See synonyms for: generate / generated / generates / generating on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object), gen·er·at·ed, gen·er·at·ing.

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), gen·er·at·ed, gen·er·at·ing.

to reproduce; propagate.

OTHER WORDS FOR generate

1 create, evolve, originate, engender, institute.

See synonyms for generate on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of generate

1350–1400; Middle English <Latin generātus produced, past participle of generāre to beget; see genus

OTHER WORDS FROM generate

in·ter·gen·er·at·ing, adjectivenon·gen·er·at·ing, adjectivepre·gen·er·ate, verb (used with object), pre·gen·er·at·ed, pre·gen·er·at·ing.un·gen·er·at·ed, adjective

un·gen·er·at·ing, adjective

Words nearby generate

general store, general strike, General Synod, general theory of relativity, general will, generate, generating plant, generation, Generation A, Generation C, generation gap

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use generate in a sentence

These employees play Pymetrics’s games to generate training data.
Auditors are testing hiring algorithms for bias, but there’s no easy fix|Amy Nordrum|February 11, 2021|MIT Technology Review
Bureaucratic roadblocks kept it from ever starting the study, let alone generating new policy ideas from what it found.
Vacancy Tax Study Is Giving City Officials Déjà Vu|Lisa Halverstadt and Andrew Keatts|February 10, 2021|Voice of San Diego
When the pouch is taken out of its airtight seal and exposed to oxygen, the iron powder causes an exothermic reaction, generating heat.
Best hand warmers: Block the chill during your favorite winter activities|PopSci Commerce Team|February 10, 2021|Popular-Science
Many brands try to increase the number of search ad impressions they receive as a method of generating demand and awareness for a brand and its services.
Smart Bidding: Five ways machine learning improves PPC advertising|Gabrielle Sadeh|February 10, 2021|Search Engine Watch

Then, when you enter an airplane or a concert or a restaurant, it generates a QR code for the business to scan.
Why Denmark’s “corona passport” is more of a promise than a plan|Bobbie Johnson|February 10, 2021|MIT Technology Review
For the Brogpas, transforming into a tourist attraction may offer their community a way to generate much-needed income.
The Himalayas’ Hidden Aryans|Nina Strochlic|January 3, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The money that drugs generate is their way to achieve the American Dream in a sort of twisted Scarface-type of fashion.
The Mexican Mafia Is the Daddy of All Street Gangs|Seth Ferranti|December 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The whole purpose of the gang is to generate money for its incarcerated leaders.
The Mexican Mafia Is the Daddy of All Street Gangs|Seth Ferranti|December 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But trying to generate buzz for her single through appropriating Nazi propaganda imagery is not one of them.
Nicki Minaj’s ‘Only’ Lyrics Video Is Like a Loose Adaptation of ‘Mein Kampf’ ft. Drake|Amy Zimmerman|November 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“I knew it was going to get at least 250,000 views and that that would generate me $18 of ad income [on YouTube],” says Conte.
Viral Video Pioneers: How Pomplamoose is Turning YouTube Stardom Into a Sustainable Profession|Oliver Jones|October 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The keynote is the oath which, in all ages and in all languages, passion seems to generate with but very little assistance.
A Cursory History of Swearing|Julian Sharman
Haste had driven the blood to her face, and the cool spring air seemed to generate in her the heat of summer.
Country Neighbors|Alice Brown
There are many things which generate belief besides evidence.
A System of Logic: Ratiocinative and Inductive|John Stuart Mill
Just what kind of turns with what around what did you make to generate a psi force?
Sense from Thought Divide|Mark Irvin Clifton
A spirit possessed of any conscious individuality whatever must generate a certain interior force to maintain it.
Beyond|Henry Seward Hubbard

British Dictionary definitions for generate

generate

/ (ˈdʒɛnəˌreɪt) /

verb (mainly tr)

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 waycircular motion of a line generates a cylinder

Word Origin for generate

C16: from Latin generāre to beget, from genus kind

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

generate

OTHER WORDS FOR generate

Origin of generate

OTHER WORDS FROM generate

Words nearby generate

Words related to generate

How to use generate in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for generate

Word Origin for generate