predetermine
Americanverb (used with object)
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to settle or decide in advance.
He had predetermined his answer to the offer.
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to ordain in advance; predestine.
She believed that God had predetermined her sorrow.
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to direct or impel; influence strongly.
His sympathy for poor people predetermined his choice of a career.
verb
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to determine beforehand
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to influence or incline towards an opinion beforehand; bias
Other Word Forms
- predetermination noun
- predeterminative adjective
- predeterminer noun
Etymology
Origin of predetermine
Explanation
The verb predetermine means "determine in advance," like when you predetermine how much money you will spend on your friend's birthday present to make shopping easier. Predetermine comes from the Latin word praedeterminare, from prae, meaning “beforehand,” and determinare, meaning “limit, settle.” When you predetermine things, such as who will bring the food and music to a party, things run more smoothly than if you left it to chance. Another meaning of the word isn't so positive — if the organizers of a contest predetermine that their friend will win, this isn't fair to the other participants.
Vocabulary lists containing predetermine
Content Summary G.1: Principles of Geography
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Invisible Man
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Florida's B.E.S.T. Common Prefixes: pre-
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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.
"There has to be concessions made by all sides. We're not going to predetermine what those are."
From BBC • Feb. 18, 2025
He refused to give an answer, to bind himself to one reality or the other, to predetermine what his successful path could be instead of living presently.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 12, 2023
They have taken a similar tone in the wake of the indictment, but suggest that their colleagues should not predetermine Bragg’s motives before launching investigations.
From Washington Post • Mar. 31, 2023
If hidden variables predetermine the results of the measurements, Alice and Bob can’t win every round.
From Science Magazine • Jul. 20, 2022
Although current technology allows STSs to predetermine a timeprint, spatial scientists have not yet developed technology to select specific geographic landing destinations outside of the STM coordinates.
From "The First State of Being" by Erin Entrada Kelly
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.
