generate

The word “generate” means to produce or create something, especially as an effect or output. In plain terms, to make or produce something, often as an output of a process.

“Generate” is pronounced JEHN-uh-rayt (/ˈd͡ʒɛn.ə.ɹeɪt/ in IPA).

Here is “generate” used in a sentence: “Solar panels generate electricity from sunlight.”

The opposite of “generate” — its antonyms — are abrogate, annihilate, extinguish, degenerate and obliterate.

“Generate” is a verb.

The word “generate” comes from Latin. From Latin generare ("to beget, produce"), from genus ("kind, race").

“Generate” is a fairly common word in modern English, usually learned at around the B1 level.

“Generate” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: to produce or create something, especially as an effect or output.

'Generate' emphasises producing something as an effect or output, often through an ongoing process, as in generating electricity or generating income. 'Create' stresses bringing something new into existence. You generate results from a process, but you create something original.

The two are close in meaning and often interchangeable. 'Generate' leans toward output that results from a chemical, physical, or computational process, such as generating heat or data. 'Produce' is broader and applies to manufacturing goods or yielding results of many kinds.

Common collocations include generate electricity, generate power, generate heat, generate income, generate revenue, generate interest, and generate ideas. The verb pairs naturally with both physical outputs and abstract results.

'Generate' is often followed by 'from' to show the source, as in 'electricity generated from wind'. It can also take 'for' to show the beneficiary, as in 'generate revenue for the company'.