determine

[dih-tur-min]

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.

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

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

Synonyms for determine

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR determine ON THESAURUS.COM

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

Synonym study

1. See decide.

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

Related Words for determining

certain, conclusive, decisive, definitive

Examples from the Web for determining

Contemporary Examples of 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
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
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
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
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

Historical Examples of determining

That always had been his determining argument: that one must take risks.
The Foolish Lovers
St. John G. Ervine
There was certainly some determining cause underlying all this which escaped her.
The Fortune of the Rougons
Emile Zola
The beginner will have little difficulty in determining this genus.
The Mushroom, Edible and Otherwise
M. E. Hard
Dr. Peterson says that the sunstroke was only the determining cause.
The Stark Munro Letters
J. Stark Munro
Who they were, we have no means of determining except from Plato's description of them.
Sophist
Plato

British Dictionary definitions for determining

determine

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.