destination

American  

[des-tuh-ney-shuhn] / ˌdɛs təˈneɪ ʃən /

noun

• destinations
  plural

1. the place to which a person or thing travels or is sent.

   Her destination was Rome.

2. the purpose for which something is destined.

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adjective

1. noting an attraction or event that people are willing to travel a long distance to get to, either because it is very good or distinctive or because it is located in a popular and interesting place.

   destination restaurants and resorts;

   a destination wedding in the Caribbean.

destination British  

/ ˌdɛstɪˈneɪʃən /

noun

1. the predetermined end of a journey or voyage

2. the ultimate end or purpose for which something is created or a person is destined

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• multidestination
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• destinations
  plural

Etymology

Origin of destination

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Latin dēstinātiōn-, stem of dēstinātiō “establishment, purpose,” from dēstināt(us) “established” (past participle of dēstināre “to determine, establish”; see destine) + -iō -ion

Explanation

Destination can describe where you are going, like a traveler whose destination is Paris, or a place that is known for a particular purpose, such as a hip new music club that's a destination for fans of indie rock. The noun destination comes from the Latin word destinare, meaning "determine, appoint, choose, make firm or fast." If you choose a destination, that's where you intend to end up, the "finish line" or goal that you keep in mind, like a friend's house that is the destination of a walk that might be interrupted a number of times, as you stop in stores along the way and pause to talk to the people you meet.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

destination destinations

The little L.A. shop was a destination for Hello Kitty fans for decades when it decided to dive into a massive new wave of e-commerce — peddling its products live on TikTok.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 4, 2026

In the new study, the team demonstrated circuits capable of adding two or three inputs and directing a single input toward a selected destination.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 4, 2026

The route mainly connects China, South Korea and Japan with the United States -- the origin or destination of seven in ten containers that pass through the canal.

From Barron's ● Sep. 3, 2026

The location of these large, windowless buildings filled with beeping servers and cables also became important to latency – the time it takes for data to travel from its source to its destination.

From BBC ● Sep. 3, 2026

They don’t even inform my parents of our destination until the day before.

From "The Last Cuentista" by Donna Barba Higuera

Jessica Hall explained the differences between this survey of retirement destinations and others that rank Florida lower.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 4, 2026

Some departures, including those to major European tourist destinations, were also delayed.

From BBC ● Sep. 4, 2026

The WalletHub ranking differed from other recent listings, which have highlighted unique locales as the top retirement destinations, such as Wyoming, New Hampshire and Midland, Mich.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 31, 2026

United, as always, made the biggest splash, announcing 10 new international destinations this week.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026

Claudia would also drive him to and from certain out-of-the-way Los Angeles destinations; otherwise he was quite adept at traveling by bus to wherever he wanted to go.

From "Endgame" by Frank Brady

Related Words

• harbor
• haven
• station
• stop
• target
• terminal