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 child was destined for high office

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 of destine

• 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

It’s destined to be remembered as one of the most volatile and surprising political contests modern-day California has ever seen. —Los Angeles Times, 10 May 2026

It was subsequently sold at a reduced price to Hitler’s art dealer and was destined for the Führer Museum in Linz, Austria. —Lianne Kolirin, CNN Money, 8 May 2026

At the same time that engineers are preparing to send more helicopters to Mars, NASA is working on a more massive rotorcraft named Dragonfly destined for Saturn’s moon Titan. —ArsTechnica, 8 May 2026

Anyone who seeks out career advice (in any field) is destined to get bombarded with metaphors. —Dana Harris-Bridson, IndieWire, 8 May 2026

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