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

The zoot suit-sporting pachucos of Chicano lore originated in El Paso. — Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, "For Mexican Americans, El Paso is a beacon. That makes racist massacre more devastating," 7 Aug. 2019 The team receives an automatic bid to the Pony League World Series, which originated in 1952, due to the town hosting the tournament at Lew Hays Field — the first-ever Pony field in the world. — Jacob Calvin Meyer, baltimoresun.com, "Hammond grad Ben Miller to coach Pony League World Series team," 7 Aug. 2019 At the time of the offenses, Miller was the chief risk officer for Seeno Construction, a prominent development company based in California and Nevada, which originated in Contra Costa County. — Ngartrell@bayareanewsgroup.com, The Mercury News, "Ex-Seeno executive convicted of embezzling from the company," 6 Aug. 2019 Since 1935, Boys State has been a program of the American Legion and the idea originated in Springfield, Illinois. — David Taylor, Houston Chronicle, "Liberty County students ‘learn by doing’ at Boys State," 6 Aug. 2019 The club originated in 1994 in a bike repair shop run by Dave Ranstrom in Belltown, in which the previous tenant had nailed a doll to the roll-up door. — Erik Lacitis, The Seattle Times, "Dead Baby Bikes Downhill brings ‘gleeful mayhem’ to Seattle streets," 3 Aug. 2019 So after originating in Tucson, the sanctuary movement really exploded in L.A., both in numbers and in ambition. — Mario Garcia, The Conversation, "More Central American migrants take shelter in churches, recalling 1980s sanctuary movement," 30 July 2019 The scroll originated in Gandhara, an ancient Buddhist region in northern Afghanistan and Pakistan. — Allen Kim, CNN, "A rare 2,000-year-old scroll about the early years of Buddhism is made public," 29 July 2019 Created by writer Gerry Finley-Day and Watchmen artist Dave Gibbons, the character originated in the pages of the British sci-fi comic 2000AD, the title which also brought us the iconic Mega-City One cop Judge Dredd. — Clark Collis, EW.com, "Director Duncan Jones gives Rogue Trooper update," 22 July 2019

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

17 Aug 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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