English Dictionary
Definition of “generate”
generate (ˈdʒɛnəˌreɪt
)
Definitions
verb (mainly tr)
- 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
- mathematics 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
Word Origin
C16: from Latin generāre to beget, from genus kind
Synonyms
View thesaurus entry
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produce,
create,
make,
form,
cause,
initiate,
bring about,
originate,
give rise to,
engender,
whip up,
Usage examples
`I never thought one painting could generate such excitement.
MacNeill, Alistair, Alastair McLean's 'Night Watch' (1989)At the same time, eight electrical coils also mounted on the ring generate a radio-frequency electromagnetic field.
New Scientist (2003)Yet a 1995 study suggested that Ireland could generate over 13 times its total electricity needs just from offshore wind in shallow waters.
Irish Times (2002)But the immediacy and electricity that pour from him, streaming through the orchestra, generate phenomenal excitement.
Glasgow Herald (2002)Social interactions, if they are sufficiently complex and absorbing, can also generate flow.
Paul Martin, MAKING HAPPY PEOPLE (2005)
