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

But with only limited testing of dairy cattle currently taking place, and uncertainty about the spread of the disease in the U.S. cattle industry, determining H5N1 status in cows destined for slaughter is murky at best, experts said. —Susanne Rust, Los Angeles Times, 30 May 2024

Editors’ Picks This year, Bitcoin’s price surged to an all-time high, renewing optimism that crypto is destined for widespread adoption. —David Yaffe-Bellany, New York Times, 21 May 2024

Officers examined two shipments arriving through the DFW Airport destined for Miami, Florida, and coming from London, according to the release. —Nicole Lopez, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 17 May 2024

Headed into the bottom of the seventh inning with the score tied, last year’s 11-inning regional final war of attrition was on everyone’s mind as the Francis Scott Key-Liberty softball rematch seemed destined for extra innings. —Timothy Dashiell, Baltimore Sun, 16 May 2024

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