predestine

verb pre·des·tine \ (ˌ)prē-ˈde-stən \

Updated on: 16 Apr 2018

Definition of predestine

transitive verb

: to destine, decree, determine, appoint, or settle beforehand; especially : predestinate 1

See predestine defined for kids

Examples of predestine in a Sentence

our victory in the tournament was seemingly predestined

Recent Examples of predestine from the Web

Our fate is predestined by God, and our salvation will come through faith in that conviction.

— rebecca newberger goldstein, New York Times, "Erasmus vs. Luther — a Rift That Defined the Course of Western Civilization," 29 Mar. 2018
After falling short of the rematch with the Patriots that many presumed was predestined, the Steelers have to address the self-destructive tendencies that have haunted them in key stretches.

— usa today sports, USA TODAY, "Who will be NFL's 'Final Four' teams in 2018 season?," 30 Mar. 2018
Maybe Sunday’s Charlotte Hornets loss was predestined when the NBA schedule came out, but the extent to which the Toronto Raptors clobbered the home team was striking.

— rick bonnell, charlotteobserver, "NBA | Charlotte Hornets - Toronto Raptors | Recap 02.11.18 | Charlotte Observer," 11 Feb. 2018
The first battle between Bird and Magic can also be seen as predestined, as has just about everything that has happened to the two men since.

— SI.com, "The Game That Started the Madness: Magic vs. Bird in 1979 Michigan State–Indiana State Final," 7 Feb. 2018
According to Yuval Steiman, senior group manager for Genesis product strategy, the turbocharged V-6 was predestined for the G80 Sport.

— Car and Driver, "Why Genesis Chose to Build a Twin-Turbo V-6 for Its First Sports Sedan," 16 Oct. 2017
Each person bears an immortal soul that is predestined to live with God forever but is not forced to do so, because love cannot be forced.

— kathryn jean lopez, National Review, "Say Yes: Religious Vocations and ‘Giving God Permission’," 14 Oct. 2017
So maybe it was predestined that this was going to happen.

— marielle wakim, Los Angeles Magazine, "Here’s How the World of Blade Runner: 2049 Really Came to Life," 29 Sep. 2017
For decades, historians had insisted that the country’s abnormal path to modernity had predestined it for the catastrophe of National Socialism.

— yascha mounk, Slate Magazine, "The End of the German Exception," 24 Sep. 2017

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

Origin and Etymology of predestine

Middle English, from Anglo-French or Latin; Anglo-French predestiner, from Latin praedestinare, from prae- + destinare to determine — more at destine

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First Known Use: 14th century

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