doom

\ ˈdüm

How to pronounce doom (audio)

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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

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 Iranian officials have blamed a technical malfunction for the aircraft’s doom. — Greg Norman, Fox News, "Ukrainian airplane shot down by mistake by Iranian anti-aircraft missile, Pentagon officials believe," 9 Jan. 2020 Predictions of Republican doom filled the airwaves. — Ramesh Ponnuru, Twin Cities, "Ramesh Ponnuru: Impeachment causing a blue Christmas? Let’s get real," 27 Dec. 2019 In fact, Harrison took the blame — and probably too much of it — for making a mistake that allowed the Bucs to escape doom from their 1-yard line and launch the 99-yard drive. — Carlos Monarrez, Detroit Free Press, "What Detroit Lions are saying about Matt Patricia's sideline talk," 16 Dec. 2019 Or, conversely, there are ways of doing it that doom it to failure. — BostonGlobe.com, "congestion pricing to save us from the worst traffic in the United States.," 6 Dec. 2019 Their sound is a combination of influences from punk, garage rock, psychedelic, doom and hip hop. — al, "Brittany Howard and more Southern artists to see at AFROPUNK’s 2019 Festival in Atlanta," 12 Oct. 2019 These undertones of some devastating potential doom show that there’s something to this play. — Jerald Pierce, chicagotribune.com, "'Hope’ by Teatro Vista borrows from ’60s sitcoms but has weird moments of static," 11 Oct. 2019 For some, like Mic, which also eyed a younger audience, this meant doom. — Eric Lach, The New Yorker, "“We’re in the Business of Stopping Thumbs”: NowThis News and the Politics of Social Video," 10 Oct. 2019 Can the Great Barrier Reef be a point of inspiration, rather than a point of doom? — National Geographic, "How to mix style and sustainability," 23 Oct. 2019 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb Once a tree shows visible symptoms, it is already doomed. — Washington Post, "For New Zealand's Maoris, even touching this sacred tree is taboo. They let scientists climb to help save it.," 12 Jan. 2020 They are doomed, by the unforgiving math, never to comprise a dominant plurality in this country. — Rumaan Alam, The New Republic, "Why We Can’t Sleep Is a Portrait of Gen X at Midlife," 7 Jan. 2020 But despite all that they were doomed to disappear by 2020, for not being green enough. — The Economist, "The World in 2020 Farewell to Starbucks’s green straws," 31 Dec. 2019 Not being on the stage, probably means you're doomed. — Rebecca Morin, USA TODAY, "Two 2020 candidates dropped out in less than 24 hours. Here's what it means.," 3 Dec. 2019 And unless they get arrested and put into jail, they may be doomed to homelessness in their senescence. — Jay Newton-small, Time, "How to Keep Alzheimer’s From Bringing About the Zombie Apocalypse," 20 Nov. 2019 If people don’t grasp the significance behind the history of the cemetery, they will be doomed to repeat it, Cimino said. — Akira Kyles, baltimoresun.com/maryland/carroll, "Carroll volunteers working to restore cemetery for black veterans, ‘make amends’ for vandalism, decay," 1 Nov. 2019 Shanghai had hoped to supplant Hong Kong as China’s financial capital by 2020, but according to the American Chamber of Commerce, it is doomed to fail due to its capital controls, which prevents money moving easily in and out of the city. — Eamon Barrett, Fortune, "Why Beijing Is So Reluctant To Suppress Protests in Hong Kong," 19 Aug. 2019 When one man can decide to pull the U.S. out of agreements and override Congress to make arms deals to bad actors without repercussion, we are doomed. — Dallas News, "Letters - Floyd McLendon, Ken Paxton, John Ratcliffe, U.S. budget deal, foreign meddling, Saudi arms deal,," 2 Aug. 2019

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.

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Last Updated

20 Jan 2020

Cite this Entry

“Doom.” The Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster Inc., https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/doomed. Accessed 22 January 2020.

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More Definitions for doom

doom

noun

English Language Learners Definition of doom

(Entry 1 of 2)

: very bad events or situations that cannot be avoided

: death or ruin

doom

verb

English Language Learners Definition of doom (Entry 2 of 2)

: to make (someone or something) certain to fail, suffer, die, etc.

See the full definition for doom in the English Language Learners Dictionary

doom

\ ˈdüm

\

Kids Definition of doom

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : a terrible or unhappy ending or happening The news is full of doom and gloom.

2 : death sense 1 He met his doom.

doom

doomed; dooming

Kids Definition of doom (Entry 2 of 2)

: to make sure that something bad will happen The plan was doomed to failure.

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