fate

noun \ ˈfāt \

|Updated on: 11 Aug 2018

Definition of fate

1 : the will or principle or determining cause by which things in general are believed to come to be as they are or events to happen as they do : destiny

… fate sometimes deals a straight flush … he had no idea that he would become the right man in the right place at the right time …
—June Goodfield

2 a : an inevitable and often adverse outcome, condition, or end

Her fate was to remain in exile.

b : disaster; especially : death

The villain met his fate at the hands of the hero.

3 a : final outcome

Congress decided the bill's fate by a single vote.

b : the expected result of normal development

prospective fate of embryonic cells

c : the circumstances that befall someone or something

did not know the fate of her former classmates

4 Fates plural : the three goddesses, Atropos, Clotho, and Lachesis, who determine the course of human life in classical mythology

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Examples of fate in a Sentence

… the fate of our species is bound up with those of countless others, with which we share a habitat that we cannot long dominate … —John Gray, Times Literary Supplement, 11 Sept. 1992
So what went wrong? I ask Syd again, glancing ahead to the inevitable end. What quirk of fate, this time round, Syd, checked the great man's stride? —John le Carré, A Perfect Spy, 1986
Often there is a specified character on whom a work hinges and whose fate we follow, a Raskolnikov or a Hamlet … —Robert Penn Warren, Democracy and Poetry, 1975
The money goes down one-two-three on the table, fives and tens and twenties, and the wheel begins to spin. Round and round she goes, where she stops nobody knows. It's up to fate. Kismet, as they say. —Mordecai Richler, The Apprenticeship Of Duddy Kravitz, 1959
They thought they would never see each other again, but fate brought them back together.
a surprising turn of fate
One company went bankrupt, and a similar fate befell the other.
Her fate was sealed by the marriage arrangement made in her youth.

Recent Examples of fate from the Web

Instead of the fate of the universe, what’s at stake is the reunion of the Pym/Van Dyne family, as Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) and the Wasp, a.k.a.

— todd vanderwerff, Vox, "The folks behind Ant-Man and the Wasp on why Marvel doesn’t always have to save the world," 5 July 2018
But families hoping for confirmation of the fate of their relatives could face a long wait: hundreds of sets of remains repatriated more than 20 years ago have yet to be identified.

— joseph hincks / seoul, Time, "U.S. Veterans Remember the Dead as Coffins Await Korean War Remains," 28 June 2018
Would the Cubs be more receptive to a reconciliation if not for a few twists of fate?

— SI.com, "Exiled by the Cubs, Sammy Sosa Is Enjoying the Life He Wants You to See," 27 June 2018
But a twist of fate led the couple to the altar more than four months early.

— PEOPLE.com, "North Carolina Couple Wins Dream Wedding in Auction After Canceled Ceremony: It Was 'Perfect'," 25 June 2018
And in an interesting twist of fate, today is also Bhutto's birthday.

— Fox News, "GOP delays House vote on 'compromise' immigration bill," 22 June 2018
Their activism, even in the immediate aftermath of experiencing such trauma, is no accident of fate.

— john king, Teen Vogue, "Former Secretary of Education John King on Why Colleges Need to Support Student Activism," 12 June 2018
Yet in an honest twist of fate, the constellation of red spots on my back was gone the next morning.

— rachel nussbaum, Glamour, "This Best-Selling Face Exfoliator Got Rid of My Bacne Overnight," 12 June 2018
Then in a cruel twist of fate for Cleveland sports fans, the exact same thing happened a few months later in the World Series, only the Indians were on the losing side.

— michelle r. martinelli, For The Win, "A reminder that a 3-1 series lead guarantees nothing, especially for the Washington Capitals," 6 June 2018

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

Origin and Etymology of fate

Middle English, from Middle French or Latin; Middle French, from Latin fatum, literally, what has been spoken, from neuter of fatus, past participle of fari to speak — more at ban

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

fate Synonyms

Phrases

matter of course;

Synonym Discussion of fate

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

fate

verb \ ˈfāt \

Definition of fate

fated; fating

transitive verb

: destine; also : doom

Examples of fate in a Sentence

Given what was going on when the magazine was started, Utne Reader seems fated to have happened—it was simply an idea that fit the times. —Eric Utne, Utne Reader, March/April 1994
It was during this interregnum between the acquisition of regional power and the actual use of it that Henderson was fated to enter the picture. —Robert D. Kaplan, The Arabists, 1993
Who are my viewing companions at this hour? Dazed and confused, we are isolated in sunken couches, empty beds and cheap hotel rooms across this crumbling nation, one through MTV but fated never to meet. —Hugh Gallagher, Rolling Stone, 29 Apr. 1993
the warning that the lack of an advanced education will fate a person to a lifetime of below-average earnings

Origin and Etymology of fate

see ¹fate

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1601

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

fate Synonyms

Synonyms

destine, doom, foredoom, foreordain, ordain, predestine, predetermine, preordain;

Related Words

predestinate;

augur, forecast, foretell, predict, presage, prognosticate, prophesy;

preconceive, prejudge;

condemn, sentence;

bode, forebode (also forbode), portend;

anticipate, divine, foreknow, foresee;

FATE Defined for English Language Learners

fate

noun

Definition of fate for English Language Learners

: a power that is believed to control what happens in the future
: the things that will happen to a person or thing : the future that someone or something will have