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
- intergenerating adjective
- nongenerating adjective
- pregenerate verb (used with object)
- ungenerated adjective
- ungenerating adjective
Etymology
Origin of generate
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Latin generātus “begotten, produced,” past participle of generāre “to beget”; genus
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.
Supporters of the development say it generates jobs and tax revenue, while conservationists fear the developments may stifle the very spectacle hundreds of thousands of tourists visit to see each year.
We narrowed our universe to the 41 U.S. companies in the Global X FinTech ETF that are expected to generate positive 12-month earnings per share and that are covered by at least five analysts.
From MarketWatch
But as AI training moves beyond simple question-and-answer and toward more complex agentic workflows, companies are using large language models to generate synthetic data to train on, according to Browne and Lambert.
From MarketWatch
"Accordingly, more significant mitigating actions would be required such as further player disposals to generate transfer fee income and wage savings, or additional funding from the shareholders, or a combination thereof."
From BBC
Collins Aerospace operates within a vast installed base of aircraft systems that generate recurring parts and maintenance demand, the approach the company emphasizes in its investor materials.
From MarketWatch
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.