designate

[ verb dez-ig-neyt; adjective dez-ig-nit, -neyt ]

See synonyms for designate on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object),des·ig·nat·ed, des·ig·nat·ing.

to mark or point out; indicate; show; specify.
to denote; indicate; signify.

to name; entitle; style.
to nominate or select for a duty, office, purpose, etc.; appoint; assign.

adjective

named or selected for an office, position, etc., but not yet installed (often used in combination following the noun it modifies): ambassador-designate.

Origin of designate

1640–50; <Latin dēsignātus, past participle of dēsignāre.See design, -ate¹

Other words from designate

des·ig·na·tive, des·ig·na·to·ry [dez-ig-nuh-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee, dez-ig-ney-tuh-ree], /ˈdɛz ɪg nəˌtɔr i, -ˌtoʊr i, ˌdɛz ɪgˈneɪ tə ri/, adjective
des·ig·na·tor, noun
de·des·ig·nate, verb (used with object), de·des·ig·nat·ed, de·des·ig·nat·ing.
non·des·ig·nate, adjective
non·des·ig·na·tive, adjective
re·des·ig·nate, verb (used with object), re·des·ig·nat·ed, re·des·ig·nat·ing.
un·des·ig·nat·ed, adjective
un·des·ig·na·tive, adjective
well-des·ig·nat·ed, adjective

Words Nearby designate

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use designate in a sentence

Lo thinks the local government should designate one or two protest sites and leave the demonstrators alone.
Occupy Hong Kong Hangs On | Lennox Samuels | September 30, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Under the law government branches other than the defense ministry would have the power to designate information as state secrets.
Japan’s new Secrets Bill Threatens To Muzzle The Press and Whistleblowers | Jake Adelstein, Nathalie-Kyoko Stucky | November 29, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
It was the first time in history that the Senate had sustained a filibuster against a cabinet secretary-designate.
How the Chuck Hagel Fight Changed the American Jewish Landscape in Washington | J. J. Goldberg | August 20, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
The president alone should not be able to designate a U.S. person as an enemy combatant and then order operatives to kill him.
The Essential Spy Guide | Henry A. Crumpton | May 2, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
"Secretary-designate Hagel is focused on the work he's got to do," the Democratic official said.
Hagel Confirmed As Defense Secretary | Ali Gharib | February 26, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST

In marking the public lands of the western territories by statute monuments must designate the corners of the tract.
Putnam's Handy Law Book for the Layman | Albert Sidney Bolles
It may also be used to designate simply a clever man, who is neither very good nor very wicked.
A Philosophical Dictionary, Volume 1 (of 10) | Franois-Marie Arouet (AKA Voltaire)
But could any dependent being fully designate its glorious origin, and infinite Surety?
The Ordinance of Covenanting | John Cunningham
Mme. Falcon has given, in the provinces, her name to designate tragic "sopranos."
Repertory Of The Comedie Humaine, Complete, A -- Z | Anatole Cerfberr and Jules Franois Christophe
The religious partisans generally designate the incredulous as libertines.
Superstition In All Ages (1732) | Jean Meslier

British Dictionary definitions for designate

designate

verb(ˈdɛzɪɡˌneɪt) (tr)

to indicate or specify
to give a name to; style; entitle

to select or name for an office or duty; appoint

adjective(ˈdɛzɪɡnɪt, -ˌneɪt)

(immediately postpositive) appointed, but not yet in office: a minister designate

Origin of designate

C15: from Latin dēsignātus marked out, defined; see design

Derived forms of designate

designative or designatory (ˌdɛzɪɡˈneɪtrɪ), adjective
designator, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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