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
-
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:
The operation used Claude to generate reports, advocacy materials, social media content and testimony on Sudan.
From Barron's ● Sep. 11, 2026
A wildfire that destroys energy generation facilities during a significant heat wave, for example, could cause enough capacity loss to generate the use of these tools, said Ackemann.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026
In a 24% bracket, it could generate roughly $96,000 of federal tax.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 10, 2026
Apple shares rose 3.6% to $326.57 after analyst Gene Munster, a co-founder of Deepwater Asset Management, said design merits of the new foldable iPhone Duo could generate higher-than-anticipated demand for the device.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026
The success of a scientific research programme thus depends not on its ability to generate new knowledge but on its ability to mobilize the support of a community.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
Lee Chang-dong’s superb “Possible Love,” for instance, generates its explosively intimate finale by first investing us in the saga of strikers reeling from a brutal government crackdown.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 10, 2026
The agreement with Fortum provides long-term financial certainty for the Loviisa plant, which currently generates about 10% of Finland's electricity.
From BBC ● Sep. 9, 2026
The business now generates more than $250 million in revenue, Warburg said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 8, 2026
Her affect can be off-putting, but that alone can’t explain the extreme negative reactions she generates.
From Salon ● Sep. 8, 2026
"The goddess of passion would be a more accurate term, and what generates more passion than love and war?"
From "City of the Plague God" by Sarwat Chadda
Although core inflation continues to accelerate, the central bank is likely to emphasize that inflation generated by global AI demand is externally driven and doesn’t necessarily indicate that Taiwan’s domestic economy is overheating, Citi said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026
The discussions generated by Coxon’s posts will mostly impact regulation on further development, Ram Bala, an associate professor of AI and analytics at Santa Clara University’s Leavey School of Business, told MarketWatch.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 11, 2026
Digital platforms are "at a critical moment," it said, especially "due to the boom in content generated and manipulated with artificial intelligence."
From Barron's ● Sep. 10, 2026
A tsunami generated off North Africa may take less than 90 minutes to reach the Riviera.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 10, 2026
And there would be horses, thousands of them—something would have to be done about the tons of manure generated each day.
From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson
By generating light signals efficiently inside the chip, they could allow information to move with very little energy loss, potentially making future devices faster, cooler, and more energy efficient.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 11, 2026
Solar supplied 60% of all new U.S. generating capacity added during the latest quarter; solar plus storage accounted for 91%.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 10, 2026
For the August quarter, Oracle Cloud Infrastructure posted 62% growth, generating $11.6 billion in revenue from the segment.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 10, 2026
He said a new 24-megawatt generating unit was being installed at the Brikama power station and would be commissioned by the end of next month.
From BBC ● Sep. 9, 2026
The cataract of Saint-Jean-les-Eaux plunged between pinnacles of rock at the eastern end of a spur of the Alps, and the generating station clung to the side of the mountain above it.
From "The Amber Spyglass" by Philip Pullman
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.
