create

American  

[kree-eyt] / kriˈeɪt /

verb (used with object)

created, creating

1. to cause to come into being, as something unique that would not naturally evolve or that is not made by ordinary processes.

2. to evolve from one's own thought or imagination, as a work of art or an invention.

   Synonyms:

   invent, contrive, devise, initiate, originate

3. Theater. to perform (a role) for the first time or in the first production of a play.

4. to make by investing with new rank or by designating; constitute; appoint.

   to create a peer.

5. to be the cause or occasion of; give rise to.

   The announcement created confusion.

6. to cause to happen; bring about; arrange, as by intention or design.

   to create a revolution; to create an opportunity to ask for a raise.

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verb (used without object)

created, creating

1. to do something creative or constructive.

2. British. to make a fuss.

adjective

1. Archaic. created.

create British  

/ kriːˈeɪt /

verb

1. (tr) to cause to come into existence

2. (tr) to invest with a new honour, office, or title; appoint

3. (tr) to be the cause of

   these circumstances created the revolution

4. (tr) to act (a role) in the first production of a play

5. (intr) to be engaged in creative work

6. slang (intr) to make a fuss or uproar

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Other Word Forms

• creatable
  adjective
• intercreate
  verb (used with object)
• self-creating
  adjective
• uncreatable
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of create

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English creat (past participle), from Latin creātus, equivalent to creā- (stem of creāre “to make”) + -tus past participle suffix

Explanation

To create simply means to make or bring into existence. Bakers create cakes, ants create problems at picnics, and you probably created a few imaginary friends when you were little. Similar to conceive and spawn and the exact opposite of destroy, create is a word that often implies a little bit of imagination. In fact, it takes a lot of creativity to create something spectacular; that is, unless you're a robot, and then your creations occur automatically. Or Mother Nature, where creation just happens naturally: Birds create nests, the tides create waves, and snowstorms create days off from school.

Example Sentences

“If you can make things quicker, and you can make things at a price point that studios will say ‘yes,’ you can employ more people in aggregate and create jobs.”

From Los Angeles Times • May 13, 2026

But dreams of seamless cross-country journeys rub up against a fragmented network broken into national systems that critics say create hurdles and pushes up costs.

From Barron's • May 13, 2026

The U.S. returned enough land to create a new German federal state.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 13, 2026

Researchers at UBC Okanagan have uncovered the process plants use to create mitraphylline, a rare natural compound that has attracted attention for its possible cancer fighting properties.

From Science Daily • May 13, 2026

Any demonstration, even one showing how spirits might be faked, could create more spirit support instead.

From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock

Related Words

• build
• conceive
• construct
• design
• devise
• discover
• establish
• forge
• form
• found
• generate
• initiate
• invent
• make
• organize
• plan
• produce
• set up
• shape
• spawn