destine

verb

des·​tine ˈde-stən 

destined; destining

transitive verb

1

: to decree beforehand : predetermine

was not destined to attain the throne

2

a

: to designate, assign, or dedicate in advance

believed their son was destined for the priesthood

destined to succeed

a flaw that destines them to fail

b

: to direct, devise, or set apart for a specific purpose or place

freight destined for European ports

Synonyms

• doom
• fate
• foredoom
• foreordain
• ordain
• predestine
• predetermine
• preordain

Examples of destine in a Sentence

his extreme height seemed to destine him for a career in basketball

Recent Examples on the Web

With you as parents, this baby is destined to be amazing (and very, very loved). —Anna Moeslein, Parents, 21 Jan. 2025

And as such, is it destined to get a season 2 itself? —Paul Tassi, Forbes, 18 Jan. 2025

The Fort McMurray Fire, destined to become the most expensive natural disaster in Canadian history, continued to burn, not for days, but for months. —CBS News, 17 Jan. 2025

Are the sins of the father inevitably destined to become the sins of the son? —Megan McCluskey, TIME, 17 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French destiner, from Latin destinare, from de- + -stinare (akin to Latin stare to stand) — more at stand

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

destine

verb

des·​tine ˈdes-tən 

destined; destining

1

: to settle in advance

a plan destined to fail

2

: to choose, assign, or dedicate in advance

destined their child for the study of law

3

: to be bound or directed

a ship destined for New York