destine
Americanverb (used with object)
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destines,
present (3rd person singular)
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destined,
past participle, past
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destining
present participle
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to set apart for a particular use, purpose, etc.; design; intend.
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to appoint or ordain beforehand, as by divine decree; foreordain; predetermine.
verb
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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destinesimple
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destinessimple
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have destinedperfect
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has destinedperfect
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am destiningprogressive
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are destiningprogressive
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is destiningprogressive
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have been destiningperfect progressive
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has been destiningperfect progressive
Past
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destinedsimple
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had destinedperfect
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was destiningprogressive
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were destiningprogressive
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had been destiningperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of destine
1250–1300; Middle English destinen < Old French destiner < Latin dēstināre to establish, determine, equivalent to dē- de- + *stanāre, derivative of stāre to stand
Explanation
The verb destine means to predetermine the way something will end up. In Greek mythology, sharing fire with humans destines Prometheus to have his liver eaten by an eagle every day. Um, thanks? Scientists believe that failing to reverse climate change will destine our planet to some irreversible negative effects. And refusing to take swimming lessons might destine you to feeling left out every summer, as you watch your friends diving into pools and swimming holes. The Old French root is destinée, "purpose, intent, fate, or destiny."
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:
A checkup in the womb Is the unborn baby healthy, or does a defect destine it to an early death or a life of debilitating illness?
From Time Magazine Archive
Since Mussolini was believed to favor the Council, there was a rustle of Fascist surprise last week when he seemed to destine the Assembly to succeed the Chamber of Deputies.
From Time Magazine Archive
The Congress have seen such a necessity of an able commander in Canada, as to destine you for that most arduous service .
From Time Magazine Archive
Blake Hamilton and crew have done an outstanding job building and maintaining what is destine become a Lone Star icon.
From Time Magazine Archive
Thou hast thews Immortal, for thou art of heavenly race: But such a love is mine, that here I chase Eternally away from thee all bloom Of youth, and destine thee towards a tomb.
From Endymion A Poetic Romance by John Keats
A score that destines young doctors-to-be to a life of ennui in a job they do not enjoy, because they could not match into the competitive specialty of their dreams.
From Scientific American ● Mar. 12, 2020
Not that he deems himself infallible; too many mistakes in following trails prove the contrary; but he thinks that nature destines such sagacity as she has given him, as she destines it to the 'possum.
From The Confidence-Man by Herman Melville
"That Providence destines this country to some great and glorious fate I must believe, while I witness the patriotism that pervades the bosoms of her lowest citizens," he said.
From The Spy by James Fenimore Cooper
The crown to which fate destines thee, and which preternatural agents endeavour to bestow upon thee.
From The Works of Samuel Johnson, Volume 05 Miscellaneous Pieces by Samuel Johnson
God destines you to accomplish great things for his glory, and exterior humiliations in your case not being suited to his designs, he makes use of concealed humiliations, known only to yourself and God.
From Letters of Madam Guyon by Jeanne Marie Bouvier de la Motte Guyon
Of course, it was destined for the jokes about the new wordmark to happen.
From Slate ● Aug. 21, 2026
That sent long-term rates plunging but they rebounded on Thursday, with Mark Malek, of Muriel Siebert & Co, calling it "a housekeeping move destined to be short-term, at best".
From Barron's ● Aug. 21, 2026
Jobs, however, wasn’t destined to play a role for very long in that new era; he had his eye on something beyond the Pentagon and CIA.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026
While the people of Greenland, Iceland and parts of northern Spain were destined to see a total eclipse, the eclipse witnessed in the UK was still the best since August 1999.
From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026
Anna Archie said, “Oh, really? Petey can help save the day! See, Petey? It’s like I always tell you—you’re destined for big things.”
From "The Last Last-Day-of-Summer" by Lamar Giles
They awoke Henry III's dynastic ambition by promoting the elevation of his brother to be King of the Romans, and destining his younger son Edmund for the crown of Naples and Sicily.
From A History of England Principally in the Seventeenth Century, Volume I (of 6) by Leopold von Ranke
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.
