designate
Americanverb (used with object)
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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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well-designatedadjective
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nondesignateadjective
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undesignatedadjective
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undesignativeadjective
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designatoryadjective
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nondesignativeadjective
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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
Conjugated Forms
Present
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has designatedperfect 3rd person singular
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have designatedperfect
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has been designatingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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am designatingprogressive 1st person singular
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is designatingprogressive 3rd person singular
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designatingparticiple
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designatessingular 3rd person
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are designatingprogressive
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have been designatingperfect progressive
Past
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had designatedperfect
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were designatingprogressive plural
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had been designatingperfect progressive
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designatedsimple
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designatedparticiple
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was designatingprogressive singular
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
Baseball: A Lexicon
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Number the Stars
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Nothing But the Truth
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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.
“After thoughtful discussions, the City of West Hollywood, the WeHo Pride production team, and Kathy Hilton have determined that the 2026 WeHo Pride Parade will not designate a Grand Marshal Icon honoree,” read the statement.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 4, 2026
A wildlife haven in Ayrshire has been "trashed" due to a four-year wait over whether or not to designate the site for protection, according to environmental campaigners.
From BBC • May 3, 2026
Carter administration lawyers said the president had the authority to designate an acting chair from among any of the Fed’s seven governors, and Carter issued an order designating Burns as the acting chair.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 16, 2026
Immigrant parents can choose to leave the country with their children or to designate someone to care for them, Bis said, which “is consistent with past administration’s policies.”
From Salon • Mar. 24, 2026
“By the power of the superglue beer sword, I hereby designate you my driver!”
From "Paper Towns" by John Green
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.
