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:
Ms. James’s job is to determine whether there is probable cause to believe that someone may have committed a crime, and whether she can persuade a jury of his guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 4, 2026
Danny Stockli, dean of the Jackson School of Geosciences and a co-author of the study, said zircon U-Pb dating offers one of the most accurate ways to determine when events occurred deep in Earth's past.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 4, 2026
Despite a battery of tests, including a contrast CT scan and bone marrow biopsy, experts could not determine exactly what was making her critically ill.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 4, 2026
When asked about the legality of the protest she said: "Others will determine whether or not that is in fact the case."
From BBC ● Oct. 4, 2026
“How can I? The science fair will do more to determine who wins the Excelsior Award than anything else this term!”
From "Shine!" by J.J. and Chris Grabenstein
But the company determines the behavior of each new version, and the military must keep up to date on the latest offerings, the Washington appeals court found.
From Barron's ● Sep. 25, 2026
Known to physicists as big G, this fundamental number determines the strength of gravitational attraction throughout the universe.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 20, 2026
A trial of the facts is an option that is open to prosecutors if a court determines that a person is unfit to stand trial and criminal proceedings cannot go ahead.
From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026
People are commonly greeted by wishing that their names be inscribed in the Book of Life—because on Rosh Hashanah God examines our past deeds and determines our individual fates for the following year.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026
Then came the mechanism by which an organism determines where these structures are to be placed: front or back, left or right, above or below.
From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee
By dating zircon crystals taken from granite altered by the impact, the team determined that the meteorite struck about 370 million years ago during the Late Devonian.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 4, 2026
Al Arabiya, citing an informed source, also reported that Omani authorities had determined the co-pilot held extremist views.
From Barron's ● Oct. 3, 2026
Insurance companies determined fraternities had become such a risk they were ranked “just behind hazardous waste disposal companies and asbestos contractors,” according to the lawsuit filed against the Cornell fraternity brothers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 3, 2026
The voluntary separation program is underway, and the number of executives who will exit later this year has not been determined, one of the knowledgeable sources said Friday.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2026
He rose to his feet, struck a valiant and determined attitude, all pointing hands and jutting hips—and collapsed with a hideous thump into the bottom of the boat.
From "Impossible Creatures" by Katherine Rundell
Ellison and his team have been determining how CNN will work with Paramount’s CBS News and its Editor in Chief Bari Weiss.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026
The task of determining which expenses fall on what side of the ledger would belong to the state attorney general.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
That uncertainty had little effect on the calibration of the dating technique itself, but it was important when determining the half-life of potassium-40.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 30, 2026
Investors should consider their liquidity needs, tax bracket and Medicare thresholds when determining their risk tolerance.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 30, 2026
McKissick agreed to represent Thorpe, determining that her case marked an important test for the rights of public housing residents.
From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson
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.
