generation

Universal Words noun 1 [C+sing./pl.v.] all the people who were born at about the same time: the younger / older generation * My generation have grown up without the experience of a world war. * I often wonder what future generations will make of our efforts. 2 [C] the average time in which children grow up, become adults and have children of their own, (usually considered to be about 30 years): a generation ago * My family have lived in this house for generations. 3 [C,U] a single stage in the history of a family: stories passed down from generation to generation * a first- / second- generation American (= a person whose family has lived in America for one / two generations) 4 [C,usually sing.] a group of people of similar age involved in a particular activity: She has inspired a whole generation of fashion school graduates. 5 [C,usually sing.] a stage in the development of a product, usually a technical one: fifth-generation computing * a new generation of vehicle 6 [U] the production of sth, especially electricity, heat, etc: the generation of electricity * methods of income generation 7 [U] (biology) the development of animals, plants, etc: spontaneous generation