generator

The word “generator” means a machine that converts mechanical energy or fuel into electricity. In plain terms, a machine or tool that produces something — most often electricity.

“Generator” is pronounced JEH-nuh-ray-tuh (/ˈdʒɛnəɹeɪtə(ɹ)/ in IPA).

Here is “generator” used in a sentence: “They ran a portable generator during the power outage.”

The opposite of “generator” — its antonyms — is extinguisher.

“Generator” is a noun.

The word “generator” comes from Latin. From Latin generare ("to beget, produce") plus the agent suffix -or.

“Generator” is a fairly common word in modern English.

“Generator” has 3 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: a machine that converts mechanical energy or fuel into electricity.

A generator is a machine that converts mechanical energy or fuel into electricity. An alternator is a specific type of generator that produces alternating current, or AC. All alternators are generators, but not all generators are alternators.

A generator converts mechanical energy into electricity, while a motor does the reverse, converting electrical energy into mechanical movement. In effect they are opposites, though both rely on the relationship between magnetism and electric current.

An engine converts fuel into mechanical motion, whereas a generator converts mechanical energy or fuel into electricity. Many portable generators contain an engine that drives the electricity-producing part, so the two often work together.

In computing, a generator is a piece of code or a tool that automatically produces output, such as random data or content, from given inputs. Programmers use generators to create things like passwords, test data, or repeated content without doing it by hand.