fate
Americannoun
-
something that unavoidably befalls a person; fortune; lot.
It is always his fate to be left behind.
-
the universal principle or ultimate agency by which the order of things is presumably prescribed; the decreed cause of events; time.
Fate decreed that they would never meet again.
-
that which is inevitably predetermined; destiny.
Death is our ineluctable fate.
-
a prophetic declaration of what must be.
The oracle pronounced their fate.
-
death, destruction, or ruin.
-
Classical Mythology. the Fates, the three goddesses of destiny, known to the Greeks as the Moerae and to the Romans as the Parcae.
verb (used with object)
noun
-
the ultimate agency that predetermines the course of events
-
the inevitable fortune that befalls a person or thing; destiny
-
the end or final result
-
a calamitous or unfavourable outcome or result; death, destruction, or downfall
verb
Related Words
Fate, destiny, doom refer to the idea of a fortune, usually adverse, that is predetermined and inescapable. The three words are frequently interchangeable. Fate stresses the irrationality and impersonal character of events: It was Napoleon's fate to be exiled. The word is often lightly used, however: It was my fate to meet her that very afternoon. Destiny emphasizes the idea of an unalterable course of events, and is often used of a propitious fortune: It was his destiny to save his nation. Doom especially applies to the final ending, always unhappy or terrible, brought about by destiny or fate: He met his doom bravely.
Etymology
Origin of fate
First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English, Middle French, from Latin fātum “what has been spoken, utterance, decree of fate, destiny,” originally neuter of fātus, past participle of fārī “to speak”
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.
Trotsky’s fate may be well known, yet the final chapters of Mr. Ireland’s book should no more be spoiled than should a gripping page turner.
If it is the fate of all men to be eclipsed by time, it is the special fate of the reformers of the day to be swamped by the incoming tide of tomorrow.
These producer responsibility laws emphasize the idea of “circular economy”: that the producer of a material must consider its fate — making sure it can be reused or recycled, or at least reduced.
From Los Angeles Times
"There would be famine and people would suffer a lot. People are suffering now, but at least with war, our fate might be clear," 60-year-old homemaker Tayebeh said.
From Barron's
So “Mule Boy” burrows into the tight, intimate space of the dying men’s final moments, and into the troubled soul of the boy fated to carry their story.
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.
