destine
Americanverb (used with object)
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destines,
present (3rd person singular)
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destined,
past participle, past
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destining
present participle
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to set apart for a particular use, purpose, etc.; design; intend.
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to appoint or ordain beforehand, as by divine decree; foreordain; predetermine.
verb
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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destinesimple
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destinessimple
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have destinedperfect
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has destinedperfect
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am destiningprogressive
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are destiningprogressive
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is destiningprogressive
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have been destiningperfect progressive
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has been destiningperfect progressive
Past
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destinedsimple
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had destinedperfect
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was destiningprogressive
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were destiningprogressive
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had been destiningperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of destine
1250–1300; Middle English destinen < Old French destiner < Latin dēstināre to establish, determine, equivalent to dē- de- + *stanāre, derivative of stāre to stand
Explanation
The verb destine means to predetermine the way something will end up. In Greek mythology, sharing fire with humans destines Prometheus to have his liver eaten by an eagle every day. Um, thanks? Scientists believe that failing to reverse climate change will destine our planet to some irreversible negative effects. And refusing to take swimming lessons might destine you to feeling left out every summer, as you watch your friends diving into pools and swimming holes. The Old French root is destinée, "purpose, intent, fate, or destiny."
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:
A checkup in the womb Is the unborn baby healthy, or does a defect destine it to an early death or a life of debilitating illness?
From Time Magazine Archive
The Congress have seen such a necessity of an able commander in Canada, as to destine you for that most arduous service .
From Time Magazine Archive
Blake Hamilton and crew have done an outstanding job building and maintaining what is destine become a Lone Star icon.
From Time Magazine Archive
Since Mussolini was believed to favor the Council, there was a rustle of Fascist surprise last week when he seemed to destine the Assembly to succeed the Chamber of Deputies.
From Time Magazine Archive
If you have considered what is best for me, have you not remembered that the fate for which you destine me will render me utterly miserable?
From The Danes Sketched by Themselves. Vol. III (of 3) A Series of Popular Stories by the Best Danish Authors by Various
A score that destines young doctors-to-be to a life of ennui in a job they do not enjoy, because they could not match into the competitive specialty of their dreams.
From Scientific American ● Mar. 12, 2020
And all the little mighty things that cheer The closing day from quiet year to year, I leave to those whom benignant fate Or merit destines to the wedded state.
From The Little Tea Book by George Washington Hood
The holy act is however interrupted by the Emperor's niece, Princess Eudora, who comes to purchase a golden chain, which once belonged to the Emperor Constantin, and which she destines for her bride-groom, Prince Leopold.
From The Standard Operaglass Detailed Plots of One Hundred and Fifty-one Celebrated Operas by Charles Annesley
She destines you for an alliance almost royal.
From The Man Who Laughs by Victor Hugo
Such a girl may a man marry who destines his days to the wild west; but woe unto him!—woe unto him, should he migrate among the more civilized and less charitable coteries of our neighbors!
From Charles O'Malley, The Irish Dragoon, Volume 2 by Charles James Lever
But as the clock ticked toward zero, it seemed destined to fall short.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 20, 2026
Instead, it may have survived as an ideal system believed to have been valid during the Creation of the world and potentially destined to return in the End of Days.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 20, 2026
It was believed to be destined for the US Capitol Building, also in Washington DC.
From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026
You wanted to see the will and want-to of a team that went 11-6 each of the past two seasons and could be destined, at last, for a push in the playoffs?
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 14, 2026
“You are the waif’s last relation in the world. Without you, the child is destined to a most piteous life in the orphan asylum.”
From "The Detective's Assistant" by Kate Hannigan
They awoke Henry III's dynastic ambition by promoting the elevation of his brother to be King of the Romans, and destining his younger son Edmund for the crown of Naples and Sicily.
From A History of England Principally in the Seventeenth Century, Volume I (of 6) by Leopold von Ranke
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.
