doom

noun

\ ˈdüm

Definition of doom

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : a law or ordinance especially in Anglo-Saxon England

2a : judgment, decision especially : a judicial condemnation or sentence

b(1) : judgment sense 5a

(2) : judgment day sense 1

3a : destiny especially : unhappy destiny

b : death, ruin

doom

verb

doomed; dooming; dooms

Definition of doom (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

1 : to give judgment against : condemn

2a : 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

Synonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about doom

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Choose the Right Synonym for doom

Noun

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. had always felt that he was doomed to remain single forever

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Rather than a sign of impending doom, however, some investors see a unique opportunity to buy bonds with significant headroom for capital appreciation. — Christopher Whittall, WSJ, "Investors See Opportunity in Beaten Down Bonds," 17 Dec. 2018 Besides scrolling through tweets or taking selfies with fans in public, Chrissy also appreciates all the wonderfully odd (and sometimes spot-on) fan theories the internet has to offer — even the ones that suggest doom in Kate's future. — Kayla Keegan, Good Housekeeping, "Chrissy Metz Says This Is Us Fans Have Kate All Wrong," 19 Mar. 2019 This doom-and-gloom approach to job hunting is out of character for me. — refinery29.com, "I Don't Know What I’m Doing Next, But Activism Will Be a Part Of It," 21 June 2018 Even as doom-and-gloom reports suggest robots are poised to replace human labor and automotive upstarts like Tesla Inc. aim to largely remove people from the production line, workers keep toiling side-by-side with machines in Marysville. — Bloomberg.com, "Robots Rejected: Humans Still Build the Best New Car You Can Buy," 23 Jan. 2018 On the flip side, doom and gloom blooms adorned with extra cobwebs and spiders to dark hearts' delight. — Gabe Bergado, Teen Vogue, "The "Chilling Adventures of Sabrina" Spellman House Was a Spooky Adventure Fit for Instagram," 26 Oct. 2018 The sun enters shadowy Scorpio on Tuesday, October 23, but for you, this celestial movement doesn’t mean doom and gloom. — Aliza Kelly Faragher, Allure, "What October's Pisces Horoscope Means for You," 30 Sep. 2018 Back in March, forecasts of severe doom and gloom went viral on Facebook (but had absolutely no credibility). — Eric Berger, Ars Technica, "Hurricane season begins in two weeks, but hype season is in full swing," 15 May 2018 But that doom and gloom might be lifted by numbers in the new CNN-SSRS national poll, numbers that suggest that, at least at the moment, Republicans are not headed for a total pounding in 180 days. — Chris Cillizza, CNN, "The new CNN poll has some actual good news for Republicans," 9 May 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Poland 🇵🇱 Endearing and full of hope, yet always doomed, like The Wire. — Roger Bennett, GQ, "Un-American Football: Your Guide to Enjoying This Yankee-Free World Cup," 12 June 2018 Any profile of a web celebrity, then—of the life-on-display breed, anyway—is doomed to failure. — Lexi Pandell, WIRED, "Meet Germán Garmendia, the Aggressively Normal YouTube Superstar Who Wants It All," 8 June 2018 His book reminds people that Bill is the only U.S. president ever held in contempt of court and argues that Hillary deserves the public distrust that doomed her presidential chances. — Dan Zak, The Seattle Times, "The Starr Report got a president impeached 20 years ago, and Ken Starr wants to remind you why," 11 Sep. 2018 The convergence of things that doomed the Republicans in 2006 may be immaterial this year. — Chad Pergram, Fox News, "Storm clouds gather for GOP as midterms approach – but forecast isn’t clear," 22 Aug. 2018 In the chaos that followed, the NKVD — Stalin’s intelligence agency and forerunner of the KGB — made a mistake that would doom all the Soviet agents who would infiltrate the Manhattan Project, the top-secret American effort to build an atomic bomb. — Tim Folger, Discover Magazine, "Chance Encounters," 17 Aug. 2018 The poll’s exit helped it avoid the final controversies that doomed the BCS. — Ross Dellenger, SI.com, "Inside the AP's Fateful 2004 Decision to Withdraw Its Poll From the BCS Formula," 12 July 2018 Conservation groups call the proposal an extinction sentence that would doom the very last wild wolves. — Washington Post, "US proposes shrinking last endangered red wolf habitat," 27 June 2018 Although the cause of the blast that doomed the ship is still disputed, President William McKinley and his administration used the deaths of the 260 aboard as a rallying cry — Remember the Maine! — to enter war. — Christina Lords, idahostatesman, "He was the 1st Idahoan killed in action. And he died in a war you've probably never heard of. | Idaho Statesman," 27 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'doom.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.