originate
verb
orig·i·nate
ə-ˈri-jə-ˌnāt 
originated; originating
: to give rise to : initiate
The composer originated 10 songs for the Broadway musical.
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 company originates from a small tea shop in Taiwan opened in 1996 by a man named Zhen-hua Wu.
—
Ernestine Siu, CNBC, 16 Feb. 2026
To ensure the fairness and credibility of our readers’ poll, any votes originating from the same IP address that exceed 20 submissions will be excluded from the final tally.
—Baltimore Sun Staff, Baltimore Sun, 16 Feb. 2026
The fire originated in the garage, but the cause of the fire remains under investigation, the fire department said.
—Aurora Beacon-News, Chicago Tribune, 16 Feb. 2026
While the holiday originated in China to mark the new year according to the ancient lunisolar calendar, it is celebrated in countries across Asia, including Korea and Vietnam.
—Olivia Wakim, AJC.com, 16 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for originate
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Ernestine Siu, CNBC, 16 Feb. 2026
To ensure the fairness and credibility of our readers’ poll, any votes originating from the same IP address that exceed 20 submissions will be excluded from the final tally.
—Baltimore Sun Staff, Baltimore Sun, 16 Feb. 2026
The fire originated in the garage, but the cause of the fire remains under investigation, the fire department said.
—Aurora Beacon-News, Chicago Tribune, 16 Feb. 2026
While the holiday originated in China to mark the new year according to the ancient lunisolar calendar, it is celebrated in countries across Asia, including Korea and Vietnam.
—Olivia Wakim, AJC.com, 16 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for originate
Cite this Entry
“Originate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/originate. Accessed 18 Feb. 2026.
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Legal Definition
originate
verb
orig·i·nate
ə-ˈri-jə-ˌnāt
originated; originating
: 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
: to take or have origin
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