predetermine
Americanverb (used with object)
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predetermines,
present (3rd person singular)
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predetermined,
past participle, past
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predetermining
present participle
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to settle or decide in advance.
He had predetermined his answer to the offer.
-
to ordain in advance; predestine.
She believed that God had predetermined her sorrow.
-
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
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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predeterminesimple
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predeterminessimple
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have predeterminedperfect
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has predeterminedperfect
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am predeterminingprogressive
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are predeterminingprogressive
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is predeterminingprogressive
-
have been predeterminingperfect progressive
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has been predeterminingperfect progressive
Past
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predeterminedsimple
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had predeterminedperfect
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was predeterminingprogressive
-
were predeterminingprogressive
-
had been predeterminingperfect progressive
Future
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.
See Examples For:
"There has to be concessions made by all sides. We're not going to predetermine what those are."
From BBC ● Feb. 18, 2025
“I believe it’s also an important principle that the speaker not predetermine the outcome of that, or dictate objectives or benchmarks,” he told reporters.
From Washington Times ● Nov. 23, 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
This system predetermines a player’s compensation based on their draft position.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 23, 2026
"Shape predetermines how a particle is going to move," McGovern said.
From Science Daily ● Dec. 12, 2023
It wasn’t a factor for his rookie deal because the collective bargaining agreement predetermines the money in each draft slot.
From Seattle Times ● Jul. 26, 2022
In its call to suspend time, the music carries the potential to press pause on the punishing velocity that attends disaster, that robs our attention and predetermines a fixed future.
From New York Times ● Apr. 14, 2022
George, looking at him with that first swift glance that often predetermines a whole interview, made up his mind that bygones were to be bygones.
From The Sturdy Oak A composite Novel of American Politics by fourteen American authors by Elizabeth Garver Jordan
A call option gives the buyer the right to purchase an underlying asset at a specified price before a predetermined expiration date.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 12, 2026
Using predetermined waypoints, photographs and video can be taken from the same positions month after month and year after year, allowing conservationists to build up a picture of how the landscape changes.
From BBC ● Oct. 10, 2026
Rather than searching only for predetermined substances, the researchers used a so-called non-targeted approach.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 28, 2026
The founders agreed to destroy as much 30% of the $LAPTOP coins should a series of 30 events have predetermined outcomes within the specified time frame.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 7, 2026
They were vindicated; the program was correct, events were progressing in their predetermined direction, history was on their side, and Harlem loved them.
From "Invisible Man" by Ralph Ellison
The new rule directs employers to consider six criteria for determining whether a worker is an employee or a contractor, without predetermining whether one outweighs the other.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 9, 2024
There was speculation at the time that Richard Williams was predetermining the results of his daughters’ matches — speculation that the Williamses denied — but the late withdrawal sparked suspicion and upset spectators.
From New York Times ● Mar. 28, 2022
Hoarding and hiding information relevant to such differences, which amounts to predetermining a verdict of “guilty as charged,” violates basic principles of fair play and gives rise to justified resentment.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 22, 2018
The main cause of those turnovers, according to Wittman, was predetermining passes without reading the defense.
From Washington Times ● Nov. 18, 2015
Both ways were—ALIVE, both obedient to impulses over which we had no more control and no more way of predetermining than mice in some complex, man-made trap.
From The Metal Monster by Abraham Merritt
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
