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
• ordain
• fate

Examples of destine in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples on the Web

In hindsight, Kempes — El Matador — was always destined to be the star of the tournament, having won the top goalscorer award in Spain in the two seasons leading up to the competition. —Michael Cox, New York Times, 5 Oct. 2025

Entrepreneurs who start out with connections to an inner circle are all but destined to gain the right opportunities to achieve success. —Sarah Maokosy, Fortune, 4 Oct. 2025

From a young age, André Mellone knew he was destined to be a creative. —Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 4 Oct. 2025

While the Red Sox certainly had a chance to advance, they may have never been destined for a deep run. —Aaliyan Mohammed, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Oct. 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

Rhymes for destine

• clandestine
• intestine
• progestin

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