ENGLISH
REFERENCE

generate

v.
B2 Upper Intermediate Oxford US //ˈdʒɛnɝˌeɪt// UK //dʒˈɛnəɹˌeɪt// gen·er·ate Academic Archaic General-service

v. to produce or create something, such as energy, money, or new ideas.

v. to produce or create something as a result of a process; to cause a particular situation or result to exist.


SIMPLE

The new wind farm will generate enough electricity for the whole town.

CONTEXTUAL

The marketing campaign helped generate a lot of interest in the new product before it even launched.

COMPLEX

The algorithm is designed to generate a unique sequence of numbers based on the user's initial input and the current system time.

Synonyms
Etymology 1

From Latin generō (“beget, procreate, produce”) + -ate (verb-forming suffix), from genus (“a kind, race, family”, gener- in compounds) + -ō; see genus. Compare Italian generare, French générer (and its older (and now obsolete) English cognate from Middle French, gender (“engender, breed, copulate”)).

Etymology 2

Learned borrowing from Latin generātus, perfect passive participle of generō (“beget, procreate, produce”). See Etymology 1 and -ate (adjective-forming suffix) for more.

Usage

The verb is transitive and always requires a direct object.

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