preordain
Americanverb (used with object)
verb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of preordain
Explanation
To preordain something is to decide that it is going to happen in the future, or to influence it to happen. You might believe that your genes preordain you to be a great math student if both of your parents are brilliant mathematicians. A magician might preordain the sudden appearance of a rabbit from an empty hat — in other words, she predicts or decides that she'll magically produce the rabbit. Other things preordain certain results by simply pointing in that direction or making the outcome seem inevitable. Torrential rain preordains a soggy croquet course the next day, and a plane's flight plan preordains exactly where (and approximately when) it will land. Pre- means "before," and ordain means "decide" or "order."
Vocabulary lists containing preordain
Fast Food Nation
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The Field Guide to the North American Teenager
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Firekeeper's Daughter
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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.
Preordain, prē-or-dān′, v.t. to ordain, appoint, or determine beforehand.—n.
From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 3 of 4: N-R) by Various
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.
