(~s)
Frequency: The word is one of the 1500 most common words in English.
1.
A ~ is all the people in a group or country who are of a similar age, especially when they are considered as having the same experiences or attitudes.
...the younger ~ of Party members...
David Mamet has long been considered the leading American playwright of his ~.
N-COUNT: with supp
2.
A ~ is the period of time, usually considered to be about thirty years, that it takes for children to grow up and become adults and have children of their own.
Within a ~ flight has become the method used by many travellers.
N-COUNT
3.
You can use ~ to refer to a stage of development in the design and manufacture of machines or equipment.
...a new ~ of IBM/Apple computers.
N-COUNT: N of n
4.
Generation is used to indicate how long members of your family have had a particular nationality. For example, second ~ means that you were born in the country you live in, but your parents were not.
...second ~ Asians in Britain...
ADJ: ord ADJ n
5.
Generation is also the production of a form of energy or power from fuel or another source of power such as water.
Japan has announced plans for a sharp rise in its nuclear power ~.
N-UNCOUNT: with supp