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
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.
If residents couldn’t make it to these, there were predetermined “public temporary refuge areas” within each neighborhood, such as street intersections and homes with large cleared backyards, that provide some increased chance of survival.
From Los Angeles Times
Historically, when Los Angeles police or deputies make an arrest, responding officers figure out bail based on a predetermined schedule that takes into account the type of charge but not the person’s ability to pay.
From Los Angeles Times
The lottery involves 14 ping-pong balls going into a machine, and the first four balls that come out will be matched to predetermined combinations assigned to each team.
From Seattle Times
“Everything seems predetermined, it’s all analytics, I don’t know what happens in that dugout,” he says.
From Los Angeles Times
Roberts II sought in each instance a predetermined appraisal value set by co-conspirators, aiming for the desired tax deduction amount.
From Washington Times
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.
