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

Gordon’s dunk gave the Nuggets a 101-99 win over the LA Clippers to end Saturday afternoon’s thrilling Game 4 and even a series destined to go long at 2-2. —Tony Jones, New York Times, 27 Apr. 2025

Lady Gaga was always destined to steal the show at Coachella as the biggest headliner at the festival this year. —Hugh McIntyre, Forbes.com, 27 Apr. 2025

But Trump’s campaign seems destined to fracture our alliances and magnify American weakness. —Nicholas D. Kristof, Mercury News, 24 Apr. 2025

Their son had seemed destined for the sport from when his two older brothers gifted him a baseball at birth. —Mathew Miranda, Sacbee.com, 24 Apr. 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