generate
Americanverb (used with object)
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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)
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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intergeneratingadjective
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ungeneratingadjective
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nongeneratingadjective
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ungeneratedadjective
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pregenerateverb (used with object)
Conjugated Forms
Present
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has generatedperfect 3rd person singular
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have generatedperfect
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has been generatingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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am generatingprogressive 1st person singular
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generatingparticiple
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generatessingular 3rd person
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have been generatingperfect progressive
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are generatingprogressive
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is generatingprogressive 3rd person singular
Past
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had generatedperfect
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was generatingprogressive singular
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generatedparticiple
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generatedsimple
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were generatingprogressive plural
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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
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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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.
IL-6 also inhibits mitochondria, the parts of a cell that generate energy.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 15, 2026
It’s also poised to generate its fair share of controversy.
From Salon • Jun. 15, 2026
These were among the more eye-catching commitments that never materialized but coming just two days after the listing of SpaceX on Nasdaq, this revenue forecast will generate investor interest — and controversy.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 15, 2026
"AI thrives on recognising patterns. And legal citations and arguments are always formatted in the same way, so it's easy for an AI to follow a template and generate fake ones," said Charlotin.
From Barron's • Jun. 15, 2026
We know that to generate our magnetic field somewhere in the interior there must be a concentrated belt of metallic elements in a liquid state.
From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson
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.
