divine

verb

divined; divining

transitive verb

1

: to discover by intuition or insight : infer

divine the truth

2

: to discover or locate (something, such as underground water or minerals) usually by means of a divining rod

intransitive verb

1

: to seek to predict future events or discover hidden knowledge usually by the interpretation of omens or by the aid of supernatural powers : to practice divination : prophesy

2

: to perceive intuitively

Synonyms of divine

• anticipate
• foresee

Choose the Right Synonym for divine

foresee, foreknow, divine, anticipate mean to know beforehand.

foresee implies nothing about how the knowledge is derived and may apply to ordinary reasoning and experience.

economists should have foreseen the recession

foreknow usually implies supernatural assistance, as through revelation.

if only we could foreknow our own destinies

divine adds to foresee the suggestion of exceptional wisdom or discernment.

was able to divine Europe's rapid recovery from the war

anticipate implies taking action about or responding emotionally to something before it happens.

the waiter anticipated our every need

Examples of divine in a Sentence

divine the answer to a question

it was easy to divine his intention of asking his girlfriend to marry him

Recent Examples on the Web

Part of what has led us into this state of impasse is precisely the generations of confident, optimistic thinking that claims to have divined the future. —Literary Hub, 14 May 2026

Its Orbs are meant to divine the real from the fake. —Will Gottsegen, The Atlantic, 24 Apr. 2026

My lack of tact and legibility is divined. —Morgan Parker, New Yorker, 6 Apr. 2026

For no other game will there be as much divined as there is after the first one, which accounts for just more than one half of 1% of the Major League Baseball season. —Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Mar. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French & Latin; Anglo-French deviner, from Latin divinare, from divinus, noun — see divine entry 1

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Phrases Containing divine

• divine inspiration
• divine retribution
• divine right
• divine service

Rhymes for divine

• affine
• airline
• align
• aline
• assign
• baseline
• beamline
• benign
• bloodline
• bovine
• brucine
• byline

Kids Definition

divine

1 of 3 adjective

di·​vine də-ˈvīn 

1

a

: of, relating to, or coming directly from God or a god

b

: being God or a god

the divine Savior

c

: directed to God or a god

divine worship

2

a

: extremely good : superb

b

: having godlike qualities

divinely adverb

divine

2 of 3 noun

: a member of the clergy

divine

3 of 3 verb

divined; divining

1

: to discover or understand something without reasoning

2

: to practice divination : prophesy

diviner noun