gen ‧ e ‧ ra ‧ tion S3 W2 AC /ˌdʒenəˈreɪʃ ə n/ BrE AmE noun
[ Word Family: noun : ↑ generation ; adjective : ↑ generational ]
1 . [ countable also + plural verb British English ] all people of about the same age:
Like most of my generation, I had never known a war.
In my generation the divorce rate is very high.
the need to preserve the planet for future generations
generation of
the post-war generation of writers
the younger/older generation (=the younger or older people in society)
The younger generation don’t know what hard work is.
The story has been handed down from generation to generation.
2 . [countable] all the members of a family of about the same age:
Friction is common when three generations live together.
first-generation/second-generation etc (=being a member of the first, second etc generation to live or be born in a country)
first-generation immigrants
a third-generation American
3 . [countable] the average period of time between the birth of a person and the birth of that person’s children
for generations
Some families have lived here for generations.
The country’s attitude toward government is harsher than it was a generation ago.
4 . [countable] a group of things that were developed from something else, or from which better things were developed
generation of
the new generation of mobile phones
the first generation of nuclear power stations
first-generation/second-generation etc
second-generation computers
5 . [uncountable] the process of producing something or making something happen SYN production
generation of
the generation of electricity
• • •
COLLOCATIONS (for Meanings 1 & 2)
■ ADJECTIVES/NOUN + generation
▪ my/your/their etc generation
I consider myself a typical Japanese woman of my generation.
▪ future generations
We need to preserve the planet for future generations.
▪ the younger generation
The party needs to make its policies appeal to the younger generation too.
▪ the older generation
These beliefs were common among the older generation.
▪ the new generation (=younger people, especially people who use new ways of doing something)
He is one of the new generation of English players.
▪ the next generation
People want to pass on money to the next generation when they die.
▪ successive/succeeding generations (=generations that follow one another)
This medical textbook has been used by successive generations of medical students and doctors.
▪ earlier generations
As with earlier generations of his family, he had been educated at Bootham School, York.
▪ the previous/preceding generation
He was the equal of any of the previous generation of great explorers.
▪ later generations
For later generations, however, the chances of getting work on leaving school were much lower.
▪ the baby-boom generation (=people born between 1946 and 1964)
Healthcare expenses are expected to rise as the baby-boom generation reaches retirement.
■ generation + NOUN
▪ the generation gap (=the difference between people of different generations)
This study explores the generation gap between parents and their teenage children.
■ phrases
▪ hand something down from generation to generation
Native Australians hand down stories and songs from generation to generation.
▪ pass something from one generation to the next
Traditional customs are passed from one generation to the next.