doom

1 of 2

noun

ˈdüm 

1

: a law or ordinance especially in Anglo-Saxon England

2

a

: judgment, decision

especially : a judicial condemnation or sentence

b(1)

: judgment sense 5a

(2)

: judgment day sense 1

3

a

: destiny

especially : unhappy destiny

b

: death, ruin

doom

2 of 2

verb

doomed; dooming; dooms

transitive verb

1

: to give judgment against : condemn

2

a

: to fix the fate of : destine

felt he was doomed to a life of loneliness

b

: to make certain the failure or destruction of

the scandal doomed her chances for election

Synonyms

Noun

• finding
• holding
• judgment
• judgement
• ruling
• sentence

Verb

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

Choose the Right Synonym for doom

fate, destiny, lot, portion, doom mean a predetermined state or end.

fate implies an inevitable and usually an adverse outcome.

the fate of the submarine is unknown

destiny implies something foreordained and often suggests a great or noble course or end.

the country's destiny to be a model of liberty to the world

lot and portion imply a distribution by fate or destiny, lot suggesting blind chance

it was her lot to die childless

, portion implying the apportioning of good and evil.

remorse was his daily portion

doom distinctly implies a grim or calamitous fate.

if the rebellion fails, his doom is certain

Examples of doom in a Sentence

Noun

The papers are filled with stories of gloom and doom.

the story of a mysterious creature who lures travelers to their doom

Verb

A criminal record will doom your chances of becoming a politician.

the actor felt that he was doomed to be forever remembered for that one terrible performance

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Use social media with intention – and not for doom scrolling. —Contributing Writer, Orange County Register, 12 Nov. 2024

Loading and editing Illustrator files was just as snappy as doing the same on the MacBook Pro M2 Max, as were the usual doom scrolling, browser tab hoarding, and other things that enhance your productivity and take it away at the same time. —Antonio G. Di Benedetto, The Verge, 30 Oct. 2024

Verb

Opening in the same year was the elegant Interlaken Hotel, on the shores of Twin Lakes, a gorgeous but ultimately doomed retreat for well-off visitors. —James Dziezynski, Outside Online, 10 Nov. 2024

Republicans, including James, rejected it en masse under the theory that once regions began selectively pulling areas out, the bill was doomed — as well as the fact that drilling in the Great Lakes has already been banned for decades. —Todd Spangler, Detroit Free Press, 28 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Old English dōm; akin to Old High German tuom condition, state, Old English dōn to do

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing doom

• doom merchant
• gloom and doom
• meet one's doom
• prophet of doom
• prophets of doom
• spell doom

Kids Definition

doom

1 of 2 noun

ˈdüm 

1

: a decision made by a court : sentence

2

a

: a usually unhappy end

b

: death sense 1, ruin

doom

2 of 2 verb

1

: condemn sense 2

2

: to set on a fixed course to an unhappy end

the plan was doomed to failure