translate

[ trans-leyt, tranz-, trans-leyt, tranz- ]

/ trænsˈleɪt, trænz-, ˈtræns leɪt, ˈtrænz- /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for: translate / translated / translates / translating on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object), trans·lat·ed, trans·lat·ing.

to turn from one language into another or from a foreign language into one's own: to translate Spanish.

to change the form, condition, nature, etc., of; transform; convert: to translate wishes into deeds.

to explain in terms that can be more easily understood; interpret.

to bear, carry, or move from one place, position, etc., to another; transfer.

Mechanics. to cause (a body) to move without rotation or angular displacement; subject to translation.

Computers. to convert (a program, data, code, etc.) from one form to another: to translate a FORTRAN program into assembly language.

Telegraphy. to retransmit or forward (a message), as by a relay.

Ecclesiastical.

to move (a bishop) from one see to another.
to move (a see) from one place to another.
to move (relics) from one place to another.

to convey or remove to heaven without natural death.

Mathematics. to perform a translation on (a set, function, etc.).

to express the value of (a currency) in a foreign currency by applying the exchange rate.

to exalt in spiritual or emotional ecstasy; enrapture.

verb (used without object), trans·lat·ed, trans·lat·ing.

to provide or make a translation; act as translator.

to admit of translation: The Greek expression does not translate easily into English.

QUIZ

GOOSES. GEESES. I WANT THIS QUIZ ON PLURAL NOUNS!

Test how much you really know about regular and irregular plural nouns with this quiz.

Question 1 of 9

Which of the following nouns has an irregular plural form?

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of translate

1250–1300; Middle English translaten<Latin trānslātus (past participle of trānsferre to transfer), equivalent to trāns-trans- + -lātus (suppletive past participle of ferre to bear¹), earlier *tlātus, equivalent to *tlā- bear (akin to thole²) + -tus past participle suffix

OTHER WORDS FROM translate

trans·lat·a·ble, adjectivetrans·lat·a·bil·i·ty, trans·lat·a·ble·ness, nounhalf-trans·lat·ed, adjectivein·ter·trans·lat·a·ble, adjective

pre·trans·late, verb (used with object), pre·trans·lat·ed, pre·trans·lat·ing.re·trans·late, verb (used with object), re·trans·lat·ed, re·trans·lat·ing.un·trans·lat·a·bil·i·ty, nounun·trans·lat·a·ble, adjectiveun·trans·lat·ed, adjectivewell-trans·lat·ed, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH translate

translate , transliterate

Words nearby translate

Transkei, Transkeian, transketolation, transl., translanguaging, translate, translation, translation dictionary, translation of axes, translative, translator

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use translate in a sentence

That means that any uncertainty in matching the precise origins of two repeater quakes could translate to uncertainty in the travel times, and thus the temperature changes.
Underwater earthquakes’ sound waves reveal changes in ocean warming|Carolyn Gramling|September 17, 2020|Science News
Users can also report words that are incorrectly translated.
Toucan raises $3M to teach you new languages as you browse the web|Anthony Ha|September 11, 2020|TechCrunch
Under its “Good Customer Program,” Oportun allows borrowers to take out larger loans with lower interest rates, which typically translates to lower monthly payments.
The Loan Company That Sued Thousands of Low-Income Latinos During the Pandemic|by Kiah Collier, Ren Larson and Perla Trevizo|August 31, 2020|ProPublica
That translates to masking up at tightly spaced campsites and when passing others on hiking trails, too.
A Dirtbag's Guide to Sanitation During a Pandemic|Maren Larsen|August 31, 2020|Outside Online

Successfully navigating the transfers market often translates to wins on the playing pitch.
Why Manchestery City owner CFG’s play for France’s Troyes is shaking up professional soccer|Jeremy Kahn|August 20, 2020|Fortune
Do they have a plan for how to translate a ceasefire into something more durable?
Local Truces Are Syria’s Sad Little Pieces of Peace|Joshua Hersh|November 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Or translate an interview maybe because I do like to translate things.
The Kardashian Look-Alike Trolling for Assad|Noah Shachtman, Michael Kennedy|October 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
As the Hooters press kit shows, an appreciation for breasts does not automatically translate to an appreciation of women.
The Misogynistic Companies Jumping On The Breast Cancer Bandwagon|Emily Shire|October 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
On the other hand, I do have doubts about how well his model would translate.
‘Last Week Tonight’ Does Real Journalism, No Matter What John Oliver Says|Asawin Suebsaeng|September 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Of course, deep innovations only translate into revenue if they can go to global markets effectively.
The Latest in High-Tech Chips||September 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
This practice quickly enables you to turn figures into words, and to translate them back into figures.
Assimilative Memory|Marcus Dwight Larrowe (AKA Prof. A. Loisette)
Suppose you wish to find out what words will translate the date of the settlement of Jamestown, Va., 1607.
Assimilative Memory|Marcus Dwight Larrowe (AKA Prof. A. Loisette)
When night came, and Mr. Mayne could leave his post, she showed him the paper and asked him to translate it.
The Red Year|Louis Tracy
It is not surprising that many of the fables which Mandeville chose to translate anticipate the themes of his great work.
Aesop Dress'd|Bernard Mandeville
In our account of this interview we shall translate the broken Spanish of the Indian into ordinary English.
Overland|John William De Forest

British Dictionary definitions for translate

translate

/ (trænsˈleɪt, trænz-) /

verb

to express or be capable of being expressed in another language or dialecthe translated Shakespeare into Afrikaans; his books translate well

(intr) to act as translator

(tr) to express or explain in simple or less technical language

(tr) to interpret or infer the significance of (gestures, symbols, etc)

(tr) to transform or convertto translate hope into reality

(tr; usually passive) biochem to transform the molecular structure of (messenger RNA) into a polypeptide chain by means of the information stored in the genetic codeSee also transcribe (def. 7)

to move or carry from one place or position to another

(tr)

to transfer (a cleric) from one ecclesiastical office to another
to transfer (a see) from one place to another

(tr) RC Church to transfer (the body or the relics of a saint) from one resting place to another

(tr) theol to transfer (a person) from one place or plane of existence to another, as from earth to heaven

maths physics to move (a figure or body) laterally, without rotation, dilation, or angular displacement

(intr) (of an aircraft, missile, etc) to fly or move from one position to another

(tr) archaic to bring to a state of spiritual or emotional ecstasy

Derived forms of translate

translatable, adjectivetranslatability, noun

Word Origin for translate

C13: from Latin translātus transferred, carried over, from transferre to transfer

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

Medical definitions for translate

translate

[ trăns-lāt′, trănz-, trăns′lāt′, trănz′- ]

To render in another language.

To put into simpler terms; explain or interpret.

To subject mRNA to translation.

Other words from translate

trans•lat′a•bil′i•ty n.trans•lat′a•ble adj.

translate

Origin of translate

OTHER WORDS FROM translate

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH translate

Words nearby translate

Words related to translate

How to use translate in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for translate

Derived forms of translate

Word Origin for translate

Medical definitions for translate

Other words from translate