determine

[ dih-tur-min ]

/ dɪˈtɜr mɪn /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR determine ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), de·ter·mined, de·ter·min·ing.

to settle or decide (a dispute, question, etc.) by an authoritative or conclusive decision.

to conclude or ascertain, as after reasoning, observation, etc.

Geometry. to fix the position of.

to cause, affect, or control; fix or decide causally: Demand for a product usually determines supply.

to give direction or tendency to; impel.

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), de·ter·mined, de·ter·min·ing.

to come to a decision or resolution; decide.

Chiefly Law. to come to an end.

Nearby words

Origin of determine

1325–75; Middle English determinen < Anglo-French, Old French determiner < Latin dētermināre, equivalent to dē- de- + termināre to bound, limit; see terminate

SYNONYMS FOR determine

1. resolve, adjust. 2. verify. 4. influence. 5. induce, lead, incline.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR determine ON THESAURUS.COM

Related formsin·ter·de·ter·mine, verb (used with object), in·ter·de·ter·mined, in·ter·de·ter·min·ing.qua·si-de·ter·mine, verb, qua·si-de·ter·mined, qua·si-de·ter·min·ing.re·de·ter·mine, verb, re·de·ter·mined, re·de·ter·min·ing.un·de·ter·min·ing, adjective

Synonym study

1. See decide.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for determining

Both Time and CNN reinstated Zakaria after determining the slip-up was “an isolated incident.”
Can Fareed Zakaria Survive A Plagiarism Firestorm?|Lloyd Grove|November 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He continues to be enthralled not so much by Earhart as by the process of determining what exactly befell her and her aircraft.
How Amelia's Plane Was Found|Michael Daly|October 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He did not gain access to media reports on the case, the judge established, determining that no further action was required.
Money, Murder, and Adoption: The Wild Trial of the Polo King|Jacqui Goddard|October 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
More important than determining who deserved credit is appreciating the dynamics that occur when people share ideas.
You Can Look It Up: The Wikipedia Story|Walter Isaacson|October 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Police are often given great leeway in determining whether or not to use lethal force, and are rarely indicted for doing so.
Ferguson on Knife Edge of More Violence After Grand Jury Evidence Leak Showing Struggle|Justin Glawe|October 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But in work of any creative sort, the mood, the condition of mind, is the determining factor.
The Life Radiant|Lilian Whiting
The great difficulty is in determining whether or not there is a defective ancestry in a given stock.
Being Well-Born|Michael F. Guyer
Even health itself is likely to have less influence in determining success in life.
The Measurement of Intelligence|Lewis Madison Terman
The distance between traps is an important factor in determining the efficiency of live-trapping.
A Population Study of the Prairie Vole (Microtus ochrogaster) in Northeastern Kansas|Edwin P. Martin
They are the dominant factors in determining that America shall be one of the two great centers of civilization.
The Red Man's Continent|Ellsworth Huntington

British Dictionary definitions for determining

determine

/ (dɪˈtɜːmɪn) /

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 toexperience often determines ability

(tr) to fix in scope, extent, variety, etcthe river determined the edge of the property

to make or cause to make a decisionhe 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 oftwo points determine a line

mainly law to come or bring to an end, as an estate or interest in land

(tr) to decide (a legal action or dispute)

Word Origin for determine

C14: from Old French determiner, from Latin dētermināre to set boundaries to, from de- + termināre to limit; see terminate

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for determining

determine

mid-14c., "to come to an end," also "to settle, decide" (late 14c.), from Old French determiner (12c.) or directly from Latin determinare "to enclose, bound, set limits to," from de- "off" (see de-) + terminare "to mark the end or boundary," from terminus "end, limit" (see terminus). Sense of "coming to a firm decision" (to do something) is from mid-15c. Related: Determined; determining; determiner.

Idioms and Phrases with determining

determine

see bound and determined.

determine

verb (used with object), de·ter·mined, de·ter·min·ing.

verb (used without object), de·ter·mined, de·ter·min·ing.

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Examples from the Web for determining

determine

verb

Word Origin for determine

determine

determine