determine
Americanverb (used with object)
-
determines,
present (3rd person singular)
-
determined,
past participle, past
-
determining
present participle
-
to conclude or ascertain, as after reasoning, observation, etc.
- Synonyms:
- verify
-
to settle or decide (a dispute, question, etc.) by an authoritative or conclusive decision.
-
to cause, affect, or control; fix or decide causally.
Demand for a product usually determines supply.
- Synonyms:
- influence
-
to give direction or tendency to; impel.
-
Geometry. to fix the position of.
-
Logic. to limit (a notion) by adding differentiating characteristics.
-
Chiefly Law. to put an end to; terminate.
-
to lead or bring (a person) to a decision.
-
to decide upon.
verb (used without object)
-
determines,
present (3rd person singular)
-
determined,
past participle, past
-
determining
present participle
-
to come to a decision or resolution; decide.
-
Chiefly Law. to come to an end.
verb
-
to settle or decide (an argument, question, etc) conclusively, as by referring to an authority
-
(tr) to ascertain or conclude, esp after observation or consideration
-
(tr) to shape or influence; give direction to
experience often determines ability
-
(tr) to fix in scope, extent, variety, etc
the river determined the edge of the property
-
to make or cause to make a decision
he determined never to marry
-
(tr) logic to define or limit (a notion) by adding or requiring certain features or characteristics
-
(tr) geometry to fix or specify the position, form, or configuration of
two points determine a line
-
law to come or bring to an end, as an estate or interest in land
-
(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
-
quasi-determineverb
-
redetermineverb
-
interdetermineverb (used with object)
-
undeterminingadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
determinesimple
-
determinessimple
-
have determinedperfect
-
has determinedperfect
-
am determiningprogressive
-
are determiningprogressive
-
is determiningprogressive
-
have been determiningperfect progressive
-
has been determiningperfect progressive
Past
-
determinedsimple
-
had determinedperfect
-
was determiningprogressive
-
were determiningprogressive
-
had been determiningperfect progressive
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
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Vocabulary of the Common Core
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
TEKS ELAR Academic Vocabulary List (5th-7th grades)
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
Although the trial was not designed to determine whether the treatment improved pancreatic cancer outcomes, researchers observed encouraging signals.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 4, 2026
Despite a battery of tests, including a contrast CT scan and bone marrow biopsy, experts could not determine exactly what was making her critically ill.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 4, 2026
When asked about the legality of the protest she said: "Others will determine whether or not that is in fact the case."
From BBC ● Oct. 4, 2026
As a freelancer in marketing, AI in business images are something Kelly is seeing everywhere, but often without tags meaning it is hard to determine whether it is real or fake.
From BBC ● Oct. 3, 2026
Before they knew it, a team from Deutsche Bank agreed to pay a call on Cornwall Capital to determine if they were worthy of the distinction: Deutsche Bank institutional customer.
From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis
But the company determines the behavior of each new version, and the military must keep up to date on the latest offerings, the Washington appeals court found.
From Barron's ● Sep. 25, 2026
Because gravity determines the shape and motion of stellar streams, astronomers can study them to learn how mass is distributed throughout a galaxy.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 23, 2026
The scion above it determines the type of fruit.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 19, 2026
A trial of the facts is an option that is open to prosecutors if a court determines that a person is unfit to stand trial and criminal proceedings cannot go ahead.
From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026
“Why we do an action is what determines its quality. A quality action or not.”
From "Saints and Misfits" by S.K. Ali
Still, both Becks were determined to rebuild that trust and to engage with new election laws that brought in sweeping changes.
From Barron's ● Oct. 5, 2026
By dating zircon crystals taken from granite altered by the impact, the team determined that the meteorite struck about 370 million years ago during the Late Devonian.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 4, 2026
But Brian Athearn, 54, is determined to try.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 4, 2026
Insurance companies determined fraternities had become such a risk they were ranked “just behind hazardous waste disposal companies and asbestos contractors,” according to the lawsuit filed against the Cornell fraternity brothers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 3, 2026
But she’s also determined to fight—especially when she is given her first trial assignment.
From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly
That uncertainty had little effect on the calibration of the dating technique itself, but it was important when determining the half-life of potassium-40.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 30, 2026
Investors should consider their liquidity needs, tax bracket and Medicare thresholds when determining their risk tolerance.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 30, 2026
Though the state’s public universities still don’t use scores from the SAT and the similar ACT exam in admissions, they do use the exams as one factor in determining course placement.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 29, 2026
US air safety regulators are delaying certification of the 737 MAX 10 until determining a fresh software glitch poses no safety risk, a top official said Monday.
From Barron's ● Sep. 28, 2026
This was the question that worried her most: determining for herself her motive.
From "Snow Falling on Cedars: A Novel" by David Guterson
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.
