fate

[feyt]

noun

1. something that unavoidably befalls a person; fortune; lot.

   It is always his fate to be left behind.

   Synonyms: luck, chance, kismet, karma

2. 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.

3. that which is inevitably predetermined; destiny.

   Death is our ineluctable fate.

4. a prophetic declaration of what must be.

   The oracle pronounced their fate.

5. death, destruction, or ruin.

6. 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)

fated, fating 

1. to predetermine, as by the decree of fate; destine (used in the passive).

   a person who was fated to be the savior of the country.

   Synonyms: preordain, foreordain

fate

/ feɪt /

noun

1. the ultimate agency that predetermines the course of events

2. the inevitable fortune that befalls a person or thing; destiny

3. the end or final result

4. a calamitous or unfavourable outcome or result; death, destruction, or downfall

verb

1. (tr; usually passive) to predetermine; doom

   he was fated to lose the game

Word History and Origins

Origin of fate¹

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”

Word History and Origins

Origin of fate¹

C14: from Latin fātum oracular utterance, from fārī to speak

Idioms and Phrases

• seal one's fate
• tempt fate

Synonym Study

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.

Example Sentences

The Paris stock exchange set a fresh record last week despite persistent uncertainty about the fate of the French government and its ability to pass a budget.

Read more on Barron's

The lyrics to “Have a Good Time” are a lackluster call to have fun, and suggest that worrying about one’s fate is futile.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

It meant their fate was left up to chance and when Olusoga opened a wooden box containing a protective shield, Bonnar knew his time in the Traitors castle was up.

Read more on BBC

And the U.S. has also bought over $1 billion worth of pesos to help defend the currency in recent weeks, they said, effectively tying American taxpayers directly to the fate of South America’s second-largest economy.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

"Israel is an independent state. We will defend ourselves by our own means and we will continue to determine our fate," Netanyahu told the ministers.

Read more on Barron's

Related Words

• chance 
• circumstance 
• consequence 
• destiny 
• effect 
• future 
• issue 
• outcome