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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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

What is your timeframe for signing (i.e., authenticating) calls originating on your network? — Jon Brodkin, Ars Technica, "Ajit Pai slams Sprint, Charter, and CenturyLink for poor robocall effort," 6 Nov. 2018 Maxwell tells Glamour that the idea for this campaign originated a year ago. — Ana Colon, Glamour, "Why Brandon Maxwell Cast His Grandmother As a Model in His Latest Campaign," 15 Aug. 2018 The flash sale ends on Thursday, July 26 at 11:59 p.m. in the timezone of your originating city. — Danielle Tullo, House Beautiful, "Alert: Southwest Is Having a Flash Sale On Flights That Ends Tonight," 26 July 2018 For his discovery of high-energy radiation originating far from Earth — now known as cosmic rays — Hess shared the 1936 Nobel Prize in Physics with Carl D. Anderson, an American particle physicist. — Mark Johnson, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Blazing a trail: UW professor's dream leads to breakthrough in identifying origin of cosmic rays," 12 July 2018 Most of the neutrinos detected by IceCube originated nearby, spawned by cosmic rays hitting Earth's upper atmosphere. — Daniel Clery, Science | AAAS, "Ghostly particle caught in polar ice ushers in new way to look at the universe," 12 July 2018 One key area of inquiry for the ICO is Cambridge University’s Psychometrics Centre, where the methodology that undergirds Cambridge Analytica’s approach to data targeting originated. — Issie Lapowsky, WIRED, "UK Regulators May Fine Facebook Over Cambridge Analytica," 10 July 2018 The first intimations that Trump might harbor a dark secret originated among America’s European allies, which, being situated closer to Russia, have had more experience fending off its nefarious encroachments. — Jonathan Chait, Daily Intelligencer, "Will Trump Be Meeting With His Counterpart — Or His Handler?," 8 July 2018 Read more: Dogs native to the Americas did not come from American wolves but rather originated in Siberia and crossed the Bering Strait with the waves of human migration that settled the American land mass. — Marc Daalder, Detroit Free Press, "Dogs native to America were wiped out by Eurasian dogs," 5 July 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

7 Dec 2018

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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