designate
Americanverb (used with object)
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designates,
present (3rd person singular)
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designated,
past participle, past
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designating
present participle
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to mark or point out; indicate; show; specify.
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to denote; indicate; signify.
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to name; entitle; style.
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to nominate or select for a duty, office, purpose, etc.; appoint; assign.
adjective
verb
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to indicate or specify
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to give a name to; style; entitle
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to select or name for an office or duty; appoint
adjective
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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designatornoun
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dedesignateverb (used with object)
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redesignateverb (used with object)
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designativeadjective
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designatoryadjective
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nondesignateadjective
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nondesignativeadjective
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undesignatedadjective
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undesignativeadjective
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well-designatedadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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designatesimple
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designatessimple
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have designatedperfect
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has designatedperfect
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am designatingprogressive
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are designatingprogressive
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is designatingprogressive
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have been designatingperfect progressive
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has been designatingperfect progressive
Past
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designatedsimple
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had designatedperfect
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was designatingprogressive
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were designatingprogressive
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had been designatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of designate
1640–50; < Latin dēsignātus, past participle of dēsignāre. See design, -ate 1
Explanation
To designate is to give something a specific status. If you designate your house an opera-free zone, it means that you've officially declared that no opera is allowed to be played there. To give a person or thing an official status is to designate it as something, like when you designate a meeting place if members of your group get lost at the amusement park. Sometimes, it can carry responsibility or an assignment, like when your teammates designate you as the captain. It can also show a category, like when you designate certain books to the humor section of the bookstore where you work.
Vocabulary lists containing designate
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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:
They’ve already succeeded in convincing the government to designate the Vjosa Narta river area as a national park.
From Slate ● Sep. 8, 2026
It might deny a drug and designate a cheaper one, or it might say a procedure, test or treatment isn’t medically necessary.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026
For clients who like to pick stocks, advisers may designate a “play money” bucket.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 13, 2026
"We need a regulatory framework, we need to designate operating rules, insurance requirements, accessibility standards, possibly permitting fees, operational limits in high pedestrian areas, and to have accountability for the operators."
From BBC ● Jun. 17, 2026
Warders’ lunch boxes were known as “suitcases” and normally a warder would designate a prisoner, usually his favorite, to carry his “suitcase,” and then reward him with half a sandwich.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
An early sign of how serious Beijing will be about the AI talks will be whom it designates to lead such a dialogue.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
The case stemmed from a broader legal dispute over the renaming of the cultural institution, which US law designates as a memorial to President John F Kennedy.
From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026
Known as the Record of Emergency Data, this form designates that beneficiaries get $100,000 tax-free cash and any unreceived payments after a servicemember dies.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026
Second, the order designates as an organization something the FBI’s past leadership has described as an ideology.
From Salon ● Jul. 23, 2026
Denmark gives its citizens the choice of three official genders: male, female, and X.The White House designates a gender-neutral bathroom for visitors and staff.
From "The 57 Bus" by Dashka Slater
The RA then has an “additional harm reduction and education conversation” with the designated sober host, said George Arey, associate vice president for residential life.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 18, 2026
The dogs are also an important national symbol, having been officially designated part of Peru's cultural heritage in 2000.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 18, 2026
Community members are concerned the closure will increase traffic in residential areas not along the designated detour routes.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026
"We are particularly alarmed by incidents in which U.S. diplomatic, military, and security personnel were unable to reach designated bunkers during Russian air raids," the statement says.
From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026
We are all equally surprised that we have been designated civil rights icons who changed history in the eyes of historians and the American people.
From "March Forward, Girl" by Melba Pattillo Beals
Ware also suggests designating a spot in, or near each room, to be your processing center.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 8, 2026
The details around his physical condition are particularly consequential because Xi has concentrated extraordinary power in his hands while designating no successor.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 3, 2026
These are mostly the same issues that sank previous rounds, including a cap on plastic production, mention of human health, and designating problematic plastic products or chemicals of concern.
From Barron's ● Oct. 1, 2026
Deukmejian vetoed the bill, though Gov. Gavin Newsom signed legislation in 2024 designating the slimy yellow creature as the official state slug.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 14, 2026
Most of the gold imprint designating whether a given piece was a bishop, king, queen, or whatever had, from years of use, worn off.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
