determine
Americanverb (used with object)
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determines,
present (3rd person singular)
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determined,
past participle, past
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determining
present participle
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to conclude or ascertain, as after reasoning, observation, etc.
- Synonyms:
- verify
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to settle or decide (a dispute, question, etc.) by an authoritative or conclusive decision.
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to cause, affect, or control; fix or decide causally.
Demand for a product usually determines supply.
- Synonyms:
- influence
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to give direction or tendency to; impel.
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Geometry. to fix the position of.
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Logic. to limit (a notion) by adding differentiating characteristics.
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Chiefly Law. to put an end to; terminate.
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to lead or bring (a person) to a decision.
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to decide upon.
verb (used without object)
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determines,
present (3rd person singular)
-
determined,
past participle, past
-
determining
present participle
-
to come to a decision or resolution; decide.
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Chiefly Law. to come to an end.
verb
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to settle or decide (an argument, question, etc) conclusively, as by referring to an authority
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(tr) to ascertain or conclude, esp after observation or consideration
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(tr) to shape or influence; give direction to
experience often determines ability
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(tr) to fix in scope, extent, variety, etc
the river determined the edge of the property
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to make or cause to make a decision
he determined never to marry
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(tr) logic to define or limit (a notion) by adding or requiring certain features or characteristics
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(tr) geometry to fix or specify the position, form, or configuration of
two points determine a line
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law to come or bring to an end, as an estate or interest in land
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(tr) to decide (a legal action or dispute)
Usage
What does determine mean? Determine means to conclude, as after reasoning or observing, as in After considering all my options, I’ve determined which college I want to attend. Generally, to determine something is to come to a conclusive decision from a place of authority on the subject. Determine can also mean to cause or control, as in How much homework my teacher assigns will determine whether I can go to the game tonight. Determine is also used to mean to give direction to, as a boss might determine what tasks their employees will do. Example: I have determined that the cause of death was cardiac arrest.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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quasi-determineverb
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redetermineverb
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interdetermineverb (used with object)
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undeterminingadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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determinesimple
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determinessimple
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have determinedperfect
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has determinedperfect
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am determiningprogressive
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are determiningprogressive
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is determiningprogressive
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have been determiningperfect progressive
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has been determiningperfect progressive
Past
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determinedsimple
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had determinedperfect
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was determiningprogressive
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were determiningprogressive
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had been determiningperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of determine
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Old French determiner, from Latin dētermināre “to mark out and fix boundaries,” equivalent to dē- prefix indicating separation + termināre “to bound, limit”; see de-, terminate
Explanation
If you determine something, you figure it out or settle a question, like when, after checking paws and hands, you determine that it's not the dog that ate your candy stash, but your kid sister. Determine comes from the Latin for "bring to a close," and when you determine something, you have closed all the questions you have about it and are quite sure you know the answer. If you become a detective, you'll have to determine who did the crime. After working through a mathematical problem, you determine the value of X. Determine can also mean influence. Your childhood spent in your grandmother's delightful kitchen might have determined your future career as a baker.
Vocabulary lists containing determine
Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
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Vocabulary of the Common Core
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TEKS ELAR Academic Vocabulary List (5th-7th grades)
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The government has had to identify the thousands of migrants who have remained for weeks to determine if they are entitled to asylum, while unaccompanied children cannot be summarily deported.
From Barron's ● Sep. 14, 2026
Dr. Petukhova said more research will be necessary to determine exactly how GLP-1 activity might interfere with hair follicle growth.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 13, 2026
“It is our job to sift through the sales pitch to determine what is real and what is bluster,” he said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 13, 2026
The CDC declared the outbreak over; the FDA, meanwhile, is still trying to determine exactly how the lettuce became contaminated.
From Salon ● Sep. 13, 2026
“If only we could determine who had been caring for you in the woods,” she mused aloud.
From "The Unseen Guest" by Maryrose Wood
They also studied how the process varied with momentum transfer, which determines the spatial scale being examined inside the nucleus.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 12, 2026
Davis was also instrumental in doubling the Oscars’ best picture category from five nominees to 10 in 2009, establishing the preferential ballot system that determines the academy’s top prize.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026
A deductible determines how much one needs to pay out of pocket before their insurance coverage starts paying for claims.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 9, 2026
A commercial tree comprises a rootstock, chosen for its tolerance to local conditions, grafted to the upper half which determines what sort of fruit is produced.
From BBC ● Sep. 4, 2026
Since it is the solar year, not the lunar year, that determines the time for harvest and planting, the seasons seem to drift when you reckon by an uncorrected lunar year.
From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife
"Their knowledge of that fact seemed to make them all the more determined that their three sons would go."
From BBC ● Sep. 14, 2026
Two of the drama’s whopping 53 nominations were for Seehorn’s portrayal of determined attorney Kim Wexler.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 14, 2026
I contacted the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center to investigate, but they determined that I had not provided them with enough information.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 14, 2026
European buyout firm CVC Capital Partners aims to raise €26 billion, or around $30.19 billion, in fee-paying commitments for its Europe Americas Fund X, with a final upper limit to be determined later.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026
But she’s also determined to fight—especially when she is given her first trial assignment.
From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly
For working-class voters, including women, class can trump gender as the determining factor behind a vote.
From Salon ● Sep. 9, 2026
She's a US-based senior executive who has observed that, while there isn't a formal mandate for employees to use AI, it's obviously determining who is rewarded, and who is left behind.
From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2026
For U.S. investors, key to assessing the impact of the yen move will be determining whether Japan is bolstering its currency by selling down its holdings of more than $1 trillion of U.S.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 8, 2026
The rules determining the big-ticket items in corporate governance—from fiduciary duties to shareholder litigation and executive compensation—are largely governed by the laws of the state where a company is incorporated, not where its employees sit.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026
The rest of the evening was spent in conjecturing how soon he would return Mr. Bennet’s visit, and determining when they should ask him to dinner.
From "Pride and Prejudice" by Jane Austen
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
