Dictionary / create
create
- verb
- adjective
- from Latin
To bring into existence; (sometimes in particular:)
1 All current definitions
Every sense of “create” in current use, as recorded by Wiktionary. Older and obsolete senses are kept separately.
verb
- transitiveTo bring into existence; (sometimes in particular:)
You can create the color orange by mixing yellow and red.
- To bring into existence; (sometimes in particular:)especiallytransitiveTo bring into existence out of nothing, without the prior existence of the materials or elements used.
In the beginning God created yᵉ heauen and the earth. And the earth was without forme & voyde, and darkenes was vpon the depe, & the Spirit of God moued vpon the waters.1560, [William Whittingham et al., transl.], The Bible and Holy Scriptures Conteyned in the Olde and Newe Testament. […] (the Geneva Bible), Geneva: […] Rouland Hall, →OCLC, Genesis I:1, folio 1, recto:
- To bring into existence; (sometimes in particular:)transitiveTo make or produce from other (e.g. raw, unrefined or scattered) materials or combinable elements or ideas; to design or invest with a new form, shape, function, etc.
Couturiers create exclusive garments for an affluent clientele.
- transitiveTo cause, to bring (a non-object) about by an action, behavior, or event, to occasion.
A sudden chemical spill on the highway created a chain‐collision which created a record traffic jam.
- transitiveTo confer or invest with a rank or title of nobility, to appoint, ordain or constitute.
Henry VIII created him a Duke. Last month, the queen created two barons.
- intransitiveTo be or do something creative, imaginative, originative.
Children usually enjoy creating, never mind if it is of any use!
- transitiveIn theatre, to be the first performer of a role; to originate a character.
- UKcolloquialintransitiveTo make a fuss, complain; to shout.
'What's the time?' she said. 'I must fly. Miss'll start creating.'1972, H. E. Bates, The Song of the Wren:
adjective
No current senses for this part of speech — see older senses.
Older & obsolete senses (1)
- obsoleteCreated, resulting from creation.
Cross-check: WordNet senses (6)
- verbmake or cause to be or to become — also: make
- verbbring into existence
- verbpursue a creative activity; be engaged in a creative activity
- verbinvest with a new title, office, or rank
- verbcreate by artistic means — also: make
- verbcreate or manufacture a man-made product — also: produce, make
Synonyms: bring forth, cause, contrive, create, ferment, forge, develop, engender, evolve, generate, gin up, innate
Antonyms: destroy
2 History of the word
The etymology, the path the word travelled, and the words built from it.
The word’s journey, newest to oldest:
- English (today)create
- Middle Englishcreaten
- Latincreātus
From Middle English createn, from Latin creātus, the perfect passive participle of creō, see -ate (verb-forming suffix). In this sense, mostly displaced Old English wyrċan (whence Modern English work) and ġesċieppan (whence Modern English shape).
Derivatives — words built from “create”
Phrases & compounds
Related terms
Want to go deeper? See also “create” on Etymonline ↗
3 Original language
Where “create” came from before it was English.
4 Original meaning
What the word meant at the oldest point the record reaches.
Wiktionary’s etymology does not give a separate meaning for the earliest form of “create”, so we don’t state one. The historical dictionary entry below shows how the word was understood in 1913.
Historical meaning — Webster’s 1913
A historical record, labelled as such: some of these senses are dated or have since shifted.
create a. [L. creatus, p. p. of creare to create; akin to Gr. krai`nein to accomplish, Skr. k to make, and to E. ending -cracy in aristocracy, also to crescent, cereal.]
- Created; composed; begotten.
create v. t.
- To bring into being; to form out of nothing; to cause to exist.
- To effect by the agency, and under the laws, of causation; to be the occasion of; to cause; to produce; to form or fashion; to renew.
- To invest with a new form, office, or character; to constitute; to appoint; to make; as, to create one a peer.
5 Use it with confidence
Model sentences from the sources, matched to the meaning they show. Read each one aloud, then make your own in the game.
verbMeaning: To bring into existence; (sometimes in particular:)
You can create the color orange by mixing yellow and red.
… God created man a moral agent.1829, Thomas Tully Crybbace, An Essay on Moral Freedom
verbMeaning: To bring into existence out of nothing, without the prior existence of the materials or elements used.
In the beginning God created yᵉ heauen and the earth. And the earth was without forme & voyde, and darkenes was vpon the depe, & the Spirit of God moued vpon the waters.1560, [William Whittingham et al., transl.], The Bible and Holy Scriptures Conteyned in the Olde and Newe Testament. […] (the Geneva Bible), Geneva: […] Rouland Hall, →OCLC, Genesis I:1, folio 1, recto:
verbMeaning: To make or produce from other (e.g. raw, unrefined or scattered) materials or combinable elements or ideas; to design or invest with a new form, shape, function, etc.
Couturiers create exclusive garments for an affluent clientele.
verbMeaning: To cause, to bring (a non-object) about by an action, behavior, or event, to occasion.
A sudden chemical spill on the highway created a chain‐collision which created a record traffic jam.
crop failures created food shortages and high prices; his stubbornness created many difficulties
verbMeaning: To confer or invest with a rank or title of nobility, to appoint, ordain or constitute.
Henry VIII created him a Duke. Last month, the queen created two barons.
Under the concordate with Belgium, at least one Belgian clergyman must be created cardinal; by tradition, every archbishop of Mechelen is thus created a cardinal.
verbMeaning: To be or do something creative, imaginative, originative.
Children usually enjoy creating, never mind if it is of any use!
verbMeaning: make or cause to be or to become
create a furor
verbMeaning: bring into existence
The company was created 25 years ago
He created a new movement in painting
verbMeaning: invest with a new title, office, or rank
Create one a peer
verbMeaning: create by artistic means
create a poem
Schoenberg created twelve-tone music
Three steps to owning it
- Pick one meaning above and read its model sentence out loud.
- Say who or what the word is about in your own life, then build a sentence around that.
- Check it against the definition: would a careful reader understand exactly that meaning?
6 The mastery game
Play it here, or print it and do it with pen and paper. At the end you will know the meanings, history, origin and original meaning — and you will have used the word yourself.
Say it, then spell it
create
/kɹiːˈeɪt/
Say the word out loud three times, slowly. Notice the stressed syllable. When you are ready, hide it and spell it from memory.
Activate Words · Word-mastery worksheet · Name: ______________________ Date: __________
create
/kɹiːˈeɪt/ · verb, adjective
Step 1 — Say it and write it
Say “create” out loud three times. Then cover the word and write it three times from memory.
Step 2 — Know every meaning
Read each definition. Then write it again in your own words.
Step 3 — Which meaning is it?
“You can create the color orange by mixing yellow and red.”
Circle the meaning used.
“Couturiers create exclusive garments for an affluent clientele.”
Circle the meaning used.
“A sudden chemical spill on the highway created a chain‐collision which created a record traffic jam.”
Circle the meaning used.
Step 4 — History and origin
Write the word’s journey back in time (each language and form):
Write three words built from “create” and what each means:
Step 5 — Original meaning
Read the etymology on the page. What does it tell you about the word’s earlier meaning?
How does that original meaning connect to the meanings today?
Step 6 — Use it yourself
☐ I can explain its meanings ☐ I know its history ☐ I know its original language ☐ I know its original meaning ☐ I can use it confidently
Answer key — create
Which meaning, sentence 1: A. To bring into existence; (sometimes in particular:)
Which meaning, sentence 2: C. To make or produce from other (e.g. raw, unrefined or scattered) materials or combinable elements or ideas; to design or invest with a new form, shape, function, etc.
Which meaning, sentence 3: A. To cause, to bring (a non-object) about by an action, behavior, or event, to occasion.
Origin: C. Latin (Latin creātus)
Journey: English create ← Middle English createn ← Latin creātus
Some derivatives: cocreate, concreate, creatard, creotard, discreate, increate, miscreate, newcreate
Etymology: From Middle English createn, from Latin creātus, the perfect passive participle of creō, see -ate (verb-forming suffix). In this sense, mostly displaced Old English wyrċan (whence Modern English work) and ġesċieppan (whence Modern English shape).
Sources: Wiktionary “create” (https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/create#English), CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org; Princeton WordNet 3.0; Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913, public domain) via GCIDE. Worksheet from https://activatewords.com/w/create