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See the Origin of Ideate
Like idea and ideal, ideate comes from the Greek verb idein, which means “to see.” The sight-thought connection came courtesy of Plato, the Greek philosopher who based his theory of the ideal on the concept of seeing, claiming that a true philosopher can see the essential nature of things and can recognize their ideal form or state. Early uses of idea, ideal, and ideate in English were associated with Platonic philosophy; idea meant “an archetype” or “a standard of perfection,” ideal meant “existing as an archetype,” and ideate referred to forming Platonic ideas. But though ideate is tied to ancient philosophy, the word itself is a modern concoction, relatively speaking. It first appeared in English only about 400 years ago.
Examples of ideate in a Sentence
Sj Studio, Sourcing Journal, 4 Dec. 2025
That, in turn, attracted folks who were interested in novel libations and helped build a community of industry personnel who ideated on what craft cocktails could be.
—Tiney Ricciardi, Denver Post, 3 Dec. 2025
Additionally, as certain brands and products win the market, others are trying to follow in their footsteps rather than ideate something new.
—Emily Burns, Footwear News, 13 Nov. 2025
With days spent ideating at Hudson cafés and nights spent jamming around Dessner's Long Pond Studio's kitchen table, Mumford & Sons tapped into the essence of rediscovery while creating Prizefighter.
—Chris Barilla, PEOPLE, 29 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ideate
Cite this Entry
“Ideate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ideate. Accessed 8 Dec. 2025.
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