determine
Americanverb (used with object)
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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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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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redetermineverb
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quasi-determineverb
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interdetermineverb (used with object)
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undeterminingadjective
Conjugated Forms
Present
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has determinedperfect 3rd person singular
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have determinedperfect
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has been determiningperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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have been determiningperfect progressive
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is determiningprogressive 3rd person singular
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determiningparticiple
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are determiningprogressive
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determinessingular 3rd person
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am determiningprogressive 1st person singular
Past
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had determinedperfect
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had been determiningperfect progressive
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was determiningprogressive singular
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determinedsimple
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were determiningprogressive plural
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determinedparticiple
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.
The individual can then be released if commissioners determine they do not pose a public safety risk.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 8, 2026
Together with two colleagues, Tamas Vicsek and Dirk Helbing, he set out to determine the rules that produce the wave.
From BBC • Jun. 7, 2026
They must conduct due diligence to determine whether clients subsequently resell such items to Russia, according to Felix Helmstädter, a German sanctions expert and lecturer in law at Humboldt University in Berlin.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 6, 2026
While the military does not enforce or evaluate religious belief, its internal classification systems help determine how resources are allocated and how chaplain support is structured across bases and deployments.
From Salon • Jun. 6, 2026
To understand the parabola, Archimedes had to learn how to measure it; for instance, nobody knew how to determine the area of a section of a parabola.
From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife
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.
