des·ig·nate
ˈde-zig-ˌnāt 
designated; designating
1
: to indicate and set apart for a specific purpose, office, or duty
designate a group to prepare a plan
2
a
: to point out the location of
a marker designating the battle
b
: to distinguish as to class (see class entry 1 sense 3)
the area we designate as that of spiritual values—
J. B. Conant
J. B. Conant3
: denote
associate names with the people they designate
4
: to call by a distinctive title, term, or expression
a particle designated the neutron
des·ig·nate
ˈde-zig-ˌnāt
-nət
: chosen but not yet installed (see install sense 2a)
ambassador designate
Examples of designate in a Sentence
Verb
The wooden stakes designate the edge of the building site.
the designated time for the meeting
Recent Examples on the Web
Jeff Pearlman, Rolling Stone, 17 Oct. 2025
Over 100 protesters gathered outside the facility Friday morning, with Broadview police officers, Cook County sheriff’s deputies and Illinois State Police gathered to keep demonstrators in the area designated for them.
—Cindy Von Quednow, CNN Money, 17 Oct. 2025
Daniella Silva, NBC news, 3 Oct. 2025
The assessment by the Washington, DC think tank outlined how Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (SCNC) had directed military and civilian officials to designate successors in the event of leadership disruption to ensure continuation in the event of war.
—Brendan Cole, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for designate
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Verb
Homeroom placement was designated by test scores, and Smith rightly recalled that her homeroom class with Tupac was filled by twenty-eight Black students — and a gawky white kid named William Yates.
—Jeff Pearlman, Rolling Stone, 17 Oct. 2025
Over 100 protesters gathered outside the facility Friday morning, with Broadview police officers, Cook County sheriff’s deputies and Illinois State Police gathered to keep demonstrators in the area designated for them.
—Cindy Von Quednow, CNN Money, 17 Oct. 2025
Adjective
The state police set up concrete barriers Thursday night to segregate protesters and designate spaces to demonstrate.
—Daniella Silva, NBC news, 3 Oct. 2025
The assessment by the Washington, DC think tank outlined how Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (SCNC) had directed military and civilian officials to designate successors in the event of leadership disruption to ensure continuation in the event of war.
—Brendan Cole, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for designate
Cite this Entry
“Designate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/designate. Accessed 20 Oct. 2025.
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