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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
2a : 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.
3a : final outcome Congress decided the bill's fate by a single vote.b : the expected result of normal development prospective fate of embryonic cellsc : 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
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The four members attending the hearing will decide Simpson's fate.
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Rogers will still have final say on the fate of the club's liquor license, said village attorney John Murphy.
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Although many view a jury summons as an inconvenience, the ability to quickly and efficiently call upon citizens of all backgrounds to come together and determine the fate of fellow citizens makes our legal system unique and emblematic.
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The forest’s fate, combined with the ice-core data from Greenland, suggests Katla was either erupting in 822, or had done so recently, and thus weakened the glacier.
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In the latter case, the remaining 20 council members would determine Johnson's fate and need a two-thirds vote to remove him.
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But this also makes witnessing these creatures’ fates that much more disquieting.
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As fate would have it, Terry and Candy had a giant fight.
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Just from the first glimpse of footage, Styles fans around the world have been deeply concerned about the fictional fate of their favorite boy band member turned WWII-era British soldier.
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
Synonym Discussion of fate
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
FATE Defined for English Language Learners
fate
playDefinition of fate for English Language Learners
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: a power that is believed to control what happens in the future
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: the things that will happen to a person or thing : the future that someone or something will have
FATE Defined for Kids
fate
playDefinition of fate for Students
1 : a power beyond human control that is believed to determine what happens : destiny It was fate that brought them together.
2 : something that happens as though determined by fate : fortune She stood … watching the sad fate of her comrades … — L. Frank Baum, The Wizard of Oz
3 : final outcome Voters will decide the fate of the election.
Medical Dictionary
fate
playMedical Definition of fate
: the expected result of normal development prospective fate of embryonic cells
Learn More about fate
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See words that rhyme with fate Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for fate Spanish Central: Translation of fate Nglish: Translation of fate for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of fate for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about fate
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