originate

verb

orig·i·nate | \ ə-ˈri-jə-ˌnāt

originated; originating

Definition of originate

transitive verb

: to give rise to : initiate The composer originated 10 songs for the Broadway musical.

intransitive verb

: to take or have origin : begin That board game originated in the 1940s.

Other Words from originate Synonyms & Antonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about originate

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Other Words from originate

origination \ ə-ˌri-jə-ˈnā-shən

\ noun

originator \ ə-ˈri-jə-ˌnā-tər

\ noun

Choose the Right Synonym for originate

spring, arise, rise, originate, derive, flow, issue, emanate, proceed, stem mean to come up or out of something into existence. spring implies rapid or sudden emerging. an idea that springs to mind arise and rise may both convey the fact of coming into existence or notice but rise often stresses gradual growth or ascent. new questions have arisen slowly rose to prominence originate implies a definite source or starting point. the fire originated in the basement derive implies a prior existence in another form. the holiday derives from an ancient Roman feast flow adds to spring a suggestion of abundance or ease of inception. words flowed easily from her pen issue suggests emerging from confinement through an outlet. blood issued from the cut emanate applies to the coming of something immaterial (such as a thought) from a source. reports emanating from the capital proceed stresses place of origin, derivation, parentage, or logical cause. advice that proceeds from the best of intentions stem implies originating by dividing or branching off from something as an outgrowth or subordinate development. industries stemming from space research

Examples of originate in a Sentence

These stories originated during earlier times. The book originated as a series of lectures. The sound seemed to originate from outside the room. The custom is believed to have originated in the western U.S. He did not originate the idea. The policy was originated by the previous administration.

Recent Examples on the Web

Lift systems originate in obscure turn-offs from narrow mountain passes. — Amy Tara Koch, Vogue, "The Slopes Less Taken: Going on a Ski Safari in the Dolomites," 7 Mar. 2019 Where a famous coffee variety originates, named for the port of Mocha. — Ahmed Awad Binmubarak, WSJ, "Keep Your Revolution to Yourself, Iran," 14 Feb. 2019 The style itself originated—and came to be extremely popular—for both practical and aesthetic reasons. — Maggie Burch, House Beautiful, "This Is Why Millennials Love Mid-Century Modern Homes So Much," 7 Dec. 2018 Those petitions often originate in another idiosyncratic part of Google’s internal culture: a sprawl of overlapping and often painfully specific mailing lists. — Russell Brandom, The Verge, "How Googlers organized against the company’s China plans," 30 Nov. 2018 But the legislation must originate with the House Appropriations Committee, the panel in charge of spending. — Chad Pergram, Fox News, "Trump, GOP plan to rescind budget spending has precedent but rocky path in Congress," 2 Oct. 2018 The song originated as a poem written by a school principal named James Weldon Johnson in 1899, according to The Washington Post. — Eileen Reslen, Harper's BAZAAR, "Beyoncé Reveals the Deeply Personal Story Behind Her Black National Anthem Performance at Coachella," 6 Aug. 2018 Real-time ray tracing mimics how light behaves in the real world by mapping out rays that originate from 3D illumination sources in a scene. — Brad Chacos, PCWorld, "RTX on! Battlefield V becomes the first game to support DXR real-time ray tracing," 14 Nov. 2018 The Evolution of Breaking Breakdancing is an urban dance style that originated in the mid-1970s on the streets and clubs of New York City. — Jen Murphy, WSJ, "A Breakdancing Underdog at 60," 3 Nov. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'originate.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Dictionary Entries near originate

Statistics for originate

Last Updated

16 Mar 2019

Look-up Popularity

Time Traveler for originate

The first known use of originate was in 1668

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More Definitions for originate

originate

verb

English Language Learners Definition of originate

: to begin to exist : to be produced or created

: to cause (something) to exist : to produce or create (something)

See the full definition for originate in the English Language Learners Dictionary

originate

verb

orig·i·nate | \ ə-ˈri-jə-ˌnāt

originated; originating

Kids Definition of originate

1 : to bring into being : invent, initiate I had lots of time to cook … and I must say I originated some excellent meals.— Jean Craighead George, My Side of the Mountain

2 : to come into being The custom originated in ancient times.

originate

verb

orig·i·nate | \ ə-ˈri-jə-ˌnāt

originated; originating

Legal Definition of originate

transitive verb

: to give rise to specifically : to issue (a mortgage loan) usually for subsequent sale in a pool of mortgage loans to a secondary market — compare service

intransitive verb

: to take or have origin

Other Words from originate

origination \ ə-ˌri-jə-ˈnā-shən

\ noun

originator \ ə-ˈri-jə-ˌnā-tər

\ noun

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