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:
The industry argues that will simply displace imported oil rather than generate new emissions and the EIA - which was produced by Adura - concluded that the emissions were "not significant".
From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026
This usually happens when people structure their assets in ways that generate little or no taxable income, as retirees often do.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 17, 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
Why an UrbanStems collaboration with skincare brand Laneige didn’t pay off—and why collabs can still be worth it even when they don’t generate big sales.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
Mirror-image chemicals are used to generate mirror-image chemicals, reflections used to reconstruct the original.
From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee
Investor B is 78, built a nest egg they cannot afford to lose, and is living off the income it generates.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 17, 2026
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
The software, called VIVA, generates customized questions, and candidates record rapid-fire, 60-second responses.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026
If there are exact locations in the brain that allow for the ability to hear or to breathe, is there a place that generates human social behavior?
From "Phineas Gage" by John Fleischman
What can't be denied is the tournament has generated vast revenue and given English cricket a chance to reach audiences, both local and globally, that might not have been accessible without this radical change.
From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2026
Reddit for the most part steers brands toward its paid advertising division, which generated revenue of $762 million in the latest quarter, up 64% over the period a year earlier.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
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
He believes mice are spontaneously generated in piles of straw.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
Louai Abu Ridi owns one of the three houses in Qusra, near Nablus, which settlers began besieging more than a week ago, trapping residents inside and effectively blocking supplies, generating condemnation around the world.
From Barron's ● Aug. 17, 2026
McDonald’s remains the U.S. burger leader, generating roughly five times the domestic sales of Burger King, and wielding a billion-dollar ad budget.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026
These include ring resonators, multiple types of lasers, and nonlinear resonators capable of generating a range of frequencies.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 17, 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
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.
