bring into existence
"The new manager generated a lot of problems"
"The computer bug generated chaos in the office"
"The computer generated this image"
"The earthquake generated a tsunami"
produce (energy)
"We can't generate enough power for the entire city"
"The hydroelectric plant needs to generate more electricity"
To bring into being; give rise to.
"The sudden power outage generated a wave of frustration among the employees waiting for their laptops to boot up."
In plain English: To generate means to create or produce something, like making electricity from wind or writing a story from scratch.
"The solar panels generate enough electricity to power the entire house."
Usage: Use generate to describe the process of creating something new or producing energy, such as generating electricity or generating ideas. Do not use it to mean simply making or preparing an existing item, which should be described with words like make or prepare instead.
The word generate comes from the Latin verb generō, meaning "to beget or produce." It entered English through the suffix -ate attached to the root of genus, which refers to a kind, race, or family.