doom

1 of 2

noun

1
: a law or ordinance especially in Anglo-Saxon England
2
a
: judgment, decision
especially : a judicial condemnation or sentence
3
a
: destiny
especially : unhappy destiny
b
: death, ruin

doom

2 of 2

verb

doomed; dooming; dooms

transitive verb

1
: to give judgment against : condemn
2
a
: to fix the fate of : destine
felt he was doomed to a life of loneliness
b
: to make certain the failure or destruction of
the scandal doomed her chances for election
Choose the Right Synonym for doom

fate, destiny, lot, portion, doom mean a predetermined state or end.

fate implies an inevitable and usually an adverse outcome.

the fate of the submarine is unknown

destiny implies something foreordained and often suggests a great or noble course or end.

the country's destiny to be a model of liberty to the world

lot and portion imply a distribution by fate or destiny, lot suggesting blind chance

it was her lot to die childless

, portion implying the apportioning of good and evil.

remorse was his daily portion

doom distinctly implies a grim or calamitous fate.

if the rebellion fails, his doom is certain

Examples of doom in a Sentence

Noun The papers are filled with stories of gloom and doom. the story of a mysterious creature who lures travelers to their doom Verb A criminal record will doom your chances of becoming a politician. the actor felt that he was doomed to be forever remembered for that one terrible performance
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
Yet even with his warnings of certain doom, plenty of other players want to take the risk and try their hand at winning billions. Proma Khosla, IndieWire, 2 Dec. 2024 But rather than dilute the scare factor, the humor makes the sense of doom only more pitiless and Orlok’s plans for Ellen more spine-chilling. David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 2 Dec. 2024
Verb
With profuse apologies to George Santayana, those who cannot remember the past may be doomed to repeat it, but those who have at least some sense of recall seem to be extremely excited at the possibility of doing things all over again. The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 27 Nov. 2024 La Liga has always maintained the ECJ ruling was not a defeat and insisted the Super League project is doomed to fail. Mario Cortegana, The Athletic, 25 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for doom 

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Old English dōm; akin to Old High German tuom condition, state, Old English dōn to do

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of doom was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near doom

Cite this Entry

“Doom.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/doom. Accessed 11 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

doom

1 of 2 noun
1
: a decision made by a court : sentence
2
a
: a usually unhappy end

doom

2 of 2 verb
1
2
: to set on a fixed course to an unhappy end
the plan was doomed to failure

More from Merriam-Webster on doom

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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