generator

IPA/ˈdʒenəreɪtə(r)/
KK[dʒˈɛnɚˌetɚ]IPA/ˈdʒenəreɪtər/

generator — noun

  • generatorsingular
  • generatorsplural

1. a machine that creates electricity by using fuel, moving water, or wind to turn

1.nounB1
Definition

a machine that creates electricity by using fuel, moving water, or wind to turn a part inside it, so that homes and buildings can have power.

Example

The hospital keeps a diesel generator in the basement for emergency power cuts.

collocation: diesel generator / backup generator

When the storm knocked out the power lines, the Okonkwo family used a small generator to keep the refrigerator running.

Common collocations
  • diesel generator
  • portable generator
  • backup generator
  • wind generator
  • gas generator
  • run a generator
  • power up a generator
Synonyms
  • power generator

    a fuller, sometimes more formal term for the same machine

  • dynamo

    older term, usually refers to a generator that produces direct current; less common in modern everyday speech

  • alternator

    a specific type of generator found in vehicles that produces alternating current

Grammar Patterns

adjective + generator

generator + for + noun phrase

Usage Note

Frequently used with an adjective that names the power source — diesel generator, gas generator, wind generator, backup generator, portable generator.

Common Mistakes

The generator broke down so we had no engine to pump water.
The generator broke down so we had no power to pump water.
A generator produces electricity; an engine produces mechanical motion.

2. a piece of equipment designed to produce a specific substance, gas, vapor, or el

2.nounB2
Definition

a piece of equipment designed to produce a specific substance, gas, vapor, or electronic signal through a controlled process.

Example

The laboratory uses a steam generator to keep the temperature of the experiment steady.

collocation: steam generator

A signal generator sends out radio waves at a set frequency to test the equipment.

signal generator for testing electronics

Common collocations
  • steam generator
  • signal generator
  • oxygen generator
  • gas generator
  • vapor generator
Synonyms
  • apparatus

    broader and more formal; describes any device designed for a specific function

  • producer

    a general term for something that creates an output, but less specific about the mechanical nature

Grammar Patterns

[substance/signal] + generator

Usage Note

The output substance or signal is almost always named just before 'generator' — steam generator, signal generator, oxygen generator, gas generator. Without a specifying word, a reader will default to sense 1 (electricity).

Common Mistakes

We bought a steam generator to power our house.
We bought an electric generator to power our house.
A steam generator makes steam, not electricity. Use electric generator or simply generator for household power.

3. a business entity that produces and sells something, most often electricity, to

3.nounB2
Definition

a business entity that produces and sells something, most often electricity, to homes or other companies.

Example

The regional generator supplies electricity to over two million homes across the valley.

generator as a company, not a machine

Local generators are required to meet strict emissions standards under the new environmental law.

Common collocations
  • regional generator
  • private generator
  • independent generator
  • local generators
  • electricity generator
  • sign a contract with a generator
Synonyms
  • producer

    more general term for any company that manufactures or supplies something

  • supplier

    focuses on the distribution side; a generator both produces and supplies

  • power company

    a more everyday term for an electricity generator that serves the public

Grammar Patterns

[adjective/region] + generator + verb (supplies/provides/produces)

Usage Note

Distinguish from sense 1: in this sense, generator refers to the business entity, not the physical machine. Context words like contract, supplier, customer, the grid, or regional signal this meaning.

Common Mistakes

The generator we signed a contract with broke down last night.
The power plant run by the generator we signed a contract with broke down last night.
A generator as an organization is a company, not a machine. Clarify which physical asset failed.

4. a person who creates or develops something such as ideas, content, energy, or po

4.nounC1
Definition

a person who creates or develops something such as ideas, content, energy, or positive change in a group or situation.

Example

Aiko is a prolific idea generator who comes up with fresh concepts for marketing campaigns every week.

collocation: idea generator

The website hired several content generators to keep the blog and social media pages active.

Common collocations
  • idea generator
  • content generator
  • generator of ideas
  • generator of change
  • generator of energy
Synonyms
  • creator

    a more general term for someone who makes something, without the mechanical metaphor of 'generator'

  • producer

    often used for someone who creates content or goods professionally

  • originator

    emphasizes being the first to start an idea or movement

Grammar Patterns

generator of [ideas/content/energy]

Usage Note

Typically followed by 'of' plus a noun that names what the person creates (generator of ideas, generator of change, generator of good feeling). The term is positive and highlights someone's productive impact rather than their formal job title.

Common Mistakes

She is a generator who works at the power plant.
She operates a generator at the power plant.
A person who operates an electricity-producing machine is an operator or technician, not a generator in sense 4.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

A generator converts mechanical energy into electrical energy, whereas an engine converts fuel (such as gasoline or diesel) into mechanical motion — an engine can drive a generator but does not produce electricity on its own. A dynamo is an older type of generator that produces direct current (DC); the word is still used informally to describe a person with abundant energy. A turbine is a machine with spinning blades driven by fluid (water, steam, or gas) to create rotational motion; turbines are often connected to a generator to make electricity. An alternator is a specific kind of generator found in cars and power stations that produces alternating current (AC). In casual speech: 'The turbine spins the generator to make electricity for the town'; 'The old car's alternator died, so the battery could not recharge'; 'My grandfather calls any power-producing machine a dynamo, but technicians use more precise terms.'

engine ↗dynamo ↗turbine ↗alternator ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • diesel generator
  • gas generator
  • power generator
  • steam generator
  • signal generator
  • backup generator
  • portable generator
  • wind generator
  • oxygen generator
  • emergency generator

Phrases

  • run a generator
  • power up a generator
  • install a generator
  • maintain a generator
  • switch to the generator

Prepositions

  • generator for [purpose/device]
  • generator of [output/substance]

Etymology

LatinEnglish

Comes from the Latin word 'generare', meaning 'to produce or create', combined with the suffix '-or', which indicates a person or thing that does something. The term was first used in English during the early 1600s for a person who produces something, and later in the 1800s it was applied to machines that produce electricity as the technology developed.