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 Dali departed Baltimore’s port early on March 26 laden with cargo destined for Sri Lanka. —Eric Tucker, Fortune, 16 Apr. 2024

There’s only so much excitement a team destined for the NBA’s play-in tournament can deserve. —Dieter Kurtenbach, The Mercury News, 10 Apr. 2024

There may be several songs on this record destined to own the warm-weather months, but Bryson Tiller is built to last through any season. —Kyle Denis, Billboard, 8 Apr. 2024

Tugboats push the barges to Port Elizabeth, New Jersey, where the containers are transferred to freight trains, destined for a landfill in Virginia. —Eric Lach, The New Yorker, 8 Apr. 2024

Apollo used towering rockets and small capsules — destined to be flown just once — that would plunge back home from space and parachute to an ocean landing. —Jackie Wattles, CNN, 5 Apr. 2024

The Dali was carrying products including paper, U.S. soybeans destined for China and some hazardous materials, according to Concirrus, a marine insurance data provider, and DG Global, an agricultural exporter with goods on the ship. —Peter Eavis, New York Times, 5 Apr. 2024

But the port's strategic location and infrastructure ensure its importance in facilitating coal shipments destined for domestic and international markets. —Robert Rapier, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024

For now, though, H5N1 is not necessarily destined to be the next virus everyone has to be worried about. —Ed Cara / Gizmodo, Quartz, 2 Apr. 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