determine
Americanverb (used with object)
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determines,
present (3rd person singular)
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determined,
past participle, past
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determining
present participle
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to conclude or ascertain, as after reasoning, observation, etc.
- Synonyms:
- verify
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to settle or decide (a dispute, question, etc.) by an authoritative or conclusive decision.
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to cause, affect, or control; fix or decide causally.
Demand for a product usually determines supply.
- Synonyms:
- influence
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to give direction or tendency to; impel.
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Geometry. to fix the position of.
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Logic. to limit (a notion) by adding differentiating characteristics.
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Chiefly Law. to put an end to; terminate.
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to lead or bring (a person) to a decision.
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to decide upon.
verb (used without object)
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determines,
present (3rd person singular)
-
determined,
past participle, past
-
determining
present participle
-
to come to a decision or resolution; decide.
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Chiefly Law. to come to an end.
verb
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to settle or decide (an argument, question, etc) conclusively, as by referring to an authority
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(tr) to ascertain or conclude, esp after observation or consideration
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(tr) to shape or influence; give direction to
experience often determines ability
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(tr) to fix in scope, extent, variety, etc
the river determined the edge of the property
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to make or cause to make a decision
he determined never to marry
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(tr) logic to define or limit (a notion) by adding or requiring certain features or characteristics
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(tr) geometry to fix or specify the position, form, or configuration of
two points determine a line
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law to come or bring to an end, as an estate or interest in land
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(tr) to decide (a legal action or dispute)
Usage
What does determine mean? Determine means to conclude, as after reasoning or observing, as in After considering all my options, I’ve determined which college I want to attend. Generally, to determine something is to come to a conclusive decision from a place of authority on the subject. Determine can also mean to cause or control, as in How much homework my teacher assigns will determine whether I can go to the game tonight. Determine is also used to mean to give direction to, as a boss might determine what tasks their employees will do. Example: I have determined that the cause of death was cardiac arrest.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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quasi-determineverb
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redetermineverb
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interdetermineverb (used with object)
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undeterminingadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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determinesimple
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determinessimple
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have determinedperfect
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has determinedperfect
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am determiningprogressive
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are determiningprogressive
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is determiningprogressive
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have been determiningperfect progressive
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has been determiningperfect progressive
Past
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determinedsimple
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had determinedperfect
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was determiningprogressive
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were determiningprogressive
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had been determiningperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of determine
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Old French determiner, from Latin dētermināre “to mark out and fix boundaries,” equivalent to dē- prefix indicating separation + termināre “to bound, limit”; see de-, terminate
Explanation
If you determine something, you figure it out or settle a question, like when, after checking paws and hands, you determine that it's not the dog that ate your candy stash, but your kid sister. Determine comes from the Latin for "bring to a close," and when you determine something, you have closed all the questions you have about it and are quite sure you know the answer. If you become a detective, you'll have to determine who did the crime. After working through a mathematical problem, you determine the value of X. Determine can also mean influence. Your childhood spent in your grandmother's delightful kitchen might have determined your future career as a baker.
Vocabulary lists containing determine
Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
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Vocabulary of the Common Core
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TEKS ELAR Academic Vocabulary List (5th-7th grades)
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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:
Researchers wanted to determine whether the same clustering behavior occurs in the Arctic and, if so, what it does to sea ice.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 14, 2026
Dr. Petukhova said more research will be necessary to determine exactly how GLP-1 activity might interfere with hair follicle growth.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 13, 2026
“It is our job to sift through the sales pitch to determine what is real and what is bluster,” he said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 13, 2026
The CDC declared the outbreak over; the FDA, meanwhile, is still trying to determine exactly how the lettuce became contaminated.
From Salon ● Sep. 13, 2026
Leah, Maggie, and Kate kept quiet, and let the public determine the truth.
From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock
They also studied how the process varied with momentum transfer, which determines the spatial scale being examined inside the nucleus.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 12, 2026
They believe in a higher power or spiritual force, but don’t typically embrace a more personalized belief that the God of the Bible determines the course of their lives and is active in human affairs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026
A deductible determines how much one needs to pay out of pocket before their insurance coverage starts paying for claims.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 9, 2026
A commercial tree comprises a rootstock, chosen for its tolerance to local conditions, grafted to the upper half which determines what sort of fruit is produced.
From BBC ● Sep. 4, 2026
Always remember, though, that it is the actual distance in half steps between the notes that determines the type of interval, not whether the notes are written as natural, sharp, or double-sharp.
From "Understanding Basic Music Theory" by Catherine Schmidt-Jones and Russel Jones
I contacted the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center to investigate, but they determined that I had not provided them with enough information.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 14, 2026
Piper and Morse then distributed promising varieties to agricultural experiment stations around the country, where researchers determined which ones performed best under local conditions.
From Salon ● Sep. 13, 2026
The cholesterol-carrying particle is similar to LDL, but it may be more damaging and its levels are largely determined by genetics.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 12, 2026
Drew Findling, also on Banks’ defense team, accused Grant of being a “master of deception” who was determined to get revenge for the death of Bennett, his cousin.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 12, 2026
He rose to his feet, struck a valiant and determined attitude, all pointing hands and jutting hips—and collapsed with a hideous thump into the bottom of the boat.
From "Impossible Creatures" by Katherine Rundell
But it turns out that determining the optimal amount of AI usage for each employee isn’t a straightforward question.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026
For working-class voters, including women, class can trump gender as the determining factor behind a vote.
From Salon ● Sep. 9, 2026
She's a US-based senior executive who has observed that, while there isn't a formal mandate for employees to use AI, it's obviously determining who is rewarded, and who is left behind.
From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2026
For U.S. investors, key to assessing the impact of the yen move will be determining whether Japan is bolstering its currency by selling down its holdings of more than $1 trillion of U.S.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 8, 2026
Nor is he denying that our genes play a role in determining who we are.
From "The Tipping Point" by Malcolm Gladwell
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.
