doom
Americannoun
-
fate or destiny, especially adverse fate; unavoidable ill fortune.
In exile and poverty, he met his doom.
-
to fall to one's doom.
-
a judgment, decision, or sentence, especially an unfavorable one.
The judge pronounced the defendant's doom.
- Synonyms:
- fate, ruination, downfall, destruction
-
the Last Judgment, at the end of the world.
-
Obsolete. a statute, enactment, or legal judgment.
verb (used with object)
-
to destine, especially to an adverse fate.
- Synonyms:
- predestine, foreordain
-
to pronounce judgment against; condemn.
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to ordain or fix as a sentence or fate.
noun
-
death or a terrible fate
-
a judgment or decision
-
(sometimes capital) another term for the Last Judgment
verb
Synonym Usage
See fate.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of doom
First recorded before 900; Middle English dome, dōm, Old English dōm “judgment, law”; cognate with Old Norse dōmr, “judgment, sentence, court,” Gothic dōms “sentence, fame,” all from Germanic dômaz “what has been set,” from dôn “to set, place, do 1 ( def. ) ”; compare Greek thémis “law” (i.e., “what has been set, laid down”); see deem
Explanation
Doom is death, destruction, the end of the world, the big goodbye. It can also be a verb — if a man twirling a mustache ties you to the railroad tracks, he dooms you to certain death! Doctor Doom is a comic book villain you do not want to mess with. He’s the doctor of death! If you feel that the world is terrible, you’re all doom and gloom. If someone dies, she meets her doom. People usually talk about doom as a type of fate — doom isn't an accident. When doom is a verb, watch out — being slack dooms careers and lies doom relationships. Stay away from all forms of doom.
Vocabulary lists containing doom
"Sonnet 55" by William Shakespeare
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Similes from Top AP English Exam Novels
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"The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet," Vocabulary from Act 3
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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 track is a harbinger—the album is filled with the sound of recorded speech drifting through the ether, and many of them carry messages of doom.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 26, 2026
A few weeks after Gatto took over vocals, they knocked out four songs, highlighted by the aggressive doom of “Time to Burn” and the blasting guitars that echo Gatto’s melodic angst on “Hot Pursuit.”
From Los Angeles Times • May 21, 2026
Others were more upbeat, with Northlight Asset Management's Chris Zaccarelli saying the April jobs data showed "the economy is so much better than what the doom crew has been saying."
From Barron's • May 8, 2026
However, it is not all doom and gloom for the Hammers despite their precarious position.
From BBC • May 4, 2026
Finally he answered, “I will make the trial, monstrous though it is, even if it is my doom to die.”
From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton
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.
