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Synonyms

predetermine

American  
[pree-di-tur-min] / ˌpri dɪˈtɜr mɪn /

verb (used with object)

predetermined, predetermining
  1. to settle or decide in advance.

    He had predetermined his answer to the offer.

  2. to ordain in advance; predestine.

    She believed that God had predetermined her sorrow.

  3. to direct or impel; influence strongly.

    His sympathy for poor people predetermined his choice of a career.


predetermine British  
/ ˌpriːdɪˈtɜːmɪn /

verb

  1. to determine beforehand

  2. to influence or incline towards an opinion beforehand; bias

"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

Other Word Forms

  • predetermination noun
  • predeterminative adjective
  • predeterminer noun

Etymology

Origin of predetermine

First recorded in 1615–25; pre- + determine

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.

A put option is a contract that gives its owner the right to sell an asset at a future date at a predetermined price.

From BBC

“It’s all pretext and obfuscation when the real agenda is rejecting conventional science and serving a predetermined anti-vaccine agenda,” Richard Hughes IV, a law professor at George Washington University, told The Guardian.

From Salon

It’s not unusual to see company insiders acquire and sell shares because they may regularly exercise options to buy and cash in stock received in their pay packages as part of predetermined trading plans.

From MarketWatch

It insists it won’t enter talks under pressure to sign up to outcomes predetermined by the U.S.

From The Wall Street Journal

Regarding the latter allegation, Carreon said in the lawsuit that HR representatives appeared to pose questions as predetermined conclusions when they interviewed her.

From The Wall Street Journal