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

The right-hander is destined to sign a deal worth well north of $200 million with some experts projecting his deal to be nearly $250 million. —Gord Magill, Newsweek, 20 Dec. 2024

Travelers destined for Hawaii's Big Island this holiday season are running into a roadblock before even boarding the plane thanks to a shortage of rental cars on the island – and price gouging of what remains. —Kait Hanson, Travel + Leisure, 20 Dec. 2024

The tumultuous events sweeping Syria are destined to have a profound impact on the country and Middle East as a region. —Ghassan E. El-Eid, Hartford Courant, 19 Dec. 2024

No matter, all movie romances include a few bumps, and despite their less-than-ideal first holiday together, this destined couple end the movie on their way to their own (very deranged) happily ever after. —Bob Sassone, Vulture, 17 Dec. 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