1
as in choosing
to decide upon (the time or date for an event) usually from a position of authority
the designated time for the meeting
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in appointing
to pick (someone) by one's authority for a specific position or duty
he has yet to designate his successor as head of the firm
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in naming
to give a name to
he was designated "Air Jordan" by his fans
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of designating
Walt playfully honored Fowler for his work on the Submarine Voyage with a plaque designating him Commander-in-Chief of the Disneyland Navy.
—
Brady MacDonald, Oc Register, 9 Jan. 2026
Snow squalls and high winds The CBS News Detroit weather team has been monitoring the forecast all weekend, designating Monday as a NEXT Weather Alert Day because of the potential impacts.
—Paula Wethington, CBS News, 29 Dec. 2025
Defense attorney Kathy Nester did not object, and Graf granted the request, officially designating Kirk's widow as the victim's representative.
—Stepheny Price , Michael Ruiz , Adam Sabes , Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 11 Dec. 2025
Trump signed an executive order in early March designating English as the country’s official language.
—Kevin Breuninger, CNBC, 10 Dec. 2025
The move comes less than 24 hours after the Red Sox and Pittsburgh Pirates swung a five-player trade, with Boston designating Criswell for assignment in order to open a roster spot.
—Gabrielle Starr, Boston Herald, 5 Dec. 2025
Washington has pursued increasingly aggressive maneuvers against Maduro — designating him as a terrorist and deploying warships in the Southern Caribbean — in what is suspected to be a campaign to overthrow him.
—semafor.com, 27 Nov. 2025
Alaska's emergency management division does not have formal agreements with the state's education department designating schools as emergency shelters, and neither agency has funding to help maintain schools specifically as emergency shelters.
—Emily Schwing, NPR, 10 Nov. 2025
The pews are filled with young families who sit next to older men and women adorned in speciality attire, designating their involvement with either the women's ministry or men's ministry.
—Liam Adams, Nashville Tennessean, 5 Nov. 2025
Brady MacDonald, Oc Register, 9 Jan. 2026
Snow squalls and high winds The CBS News Detroit weather team has been monitoring the forecast all weekend, designating Monday as a NEXT Weather Alert Day because of the potential impacts.
—Paula Wethington, CBS News, 29 Dec. 2025
Defense attorney Kathy Nester did not object, and Graf granted the request, officially designating Kirk's widow as the victim's representative.
—Stepheny Price , Michael Ruiz , Adam Sabes , Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 11 Dec. 2025
Trump signed an executive order in early March designating English as the country’s official language.
—Kevin Breuninger, CNBC, 10 Dec. 2025
The move comes less than 24 hours after the Red Sox and Pittsburgh Pirates swung a five-player trade, with Boston designating Criswell for assignment in order to open a roster spot.
—Gabrielle Starr, Boston Herald, 5 Dec. 2025
Washington has pursued increasingly aggressive maneuvers against Maduro — designating him as a terrorist and deploying warships in the Southern Caribbean — in what is suspected to be a campaign to overthrow him.
—semafor.com, 27 Nov. 2025
Alaska's emergency management division does not have formal agreements with the state's education department designating schools as emergency shelters, and neither agency has funding to help maintain schools specifically as emergency shelters.
—Emily Schwing, NPR, 10 Nov. 2025
The pews are filled with young families who sit next to older men and women adorned in speciality attire, designating their involvement with either the women's ministry or men's ministry.
—Liam Adams, Nashville Tennessean, 5 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for designating
Verb
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According to the National Kitchen & Bath Association’s 2026 Kitchen Trends Report, homeowners are increasingly choosing appliances that create a better environment for cooking and gathering.—
Kristina McGuirk,
Better Homes & Gardens,
10 Jan. 2026
-
This path begins with choosing leaders who will put principle over politics and ideology, with a promise to focus on the middle class as the center of every policy.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
10 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Skandalakis, meanwhile, warns that the hourly rates being requested by defense attorneys far surpass what Georgia typically pays when appointing conflict counsel.—
Zachary Bynum,
CBS News,
14 Jan. 2026
-
Back in June 2025, Kennedy fired all 17 sitting members of the committee before the secretary began appointing new members, which included some vaccine skeptics, only a few days later.—
Fernando Cervantes Jr,
USA Today,
14 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The astronaut who suffered the medical issue (NASA is not naming the astronut due to medical privacy concerns) is in a stable condition and should not require special assistance or measures for the trip home, NASA has said.—
Josh Dinner,
Space.com,
15 Jan. 2026
-
Chicago is exploring the possibility of selling sponsorships and naming rights for various facilities at O'Hare International and Midway International airports.—
Todd Feurer,
CBS News,
14 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Choose the oven’s steam setting if there is one and follow the manufacturer’s instructions.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
14 Jan. 2026
-
Pittman’s father contacted the FBI Saturday and told the agency his son had confessed to setting the building on fire, says the complaint.—
Zoe Sottile,
CNN Money,
13 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Anyone who thinks that this is an issue that could have been solved by nominating a couple more Spider-Man movies is fooling themselves.—
Nate Jones,
Vulture,
19 Dec. 2025
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At that state party convention, delegates rejected then gubernatorial nominee Mike Braun's preferred running mate, instead nominating Beckwith by several dozen votes.—
Marissa Meador,
IndyStar,
2 Dec. 2025
Verb
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At least 100 demonstrators gathered in New York City's Federal Plaza in the rain Saturday afternoon to condemn the shooting, calling for justice for Good's family and the abolishment of ICE.—
Kristie Keleshian,
CBS News,
11 Jan. 2026
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Several minutes later, officers responded to a report of a man calling for help near Northeast 146th Avenue and East Burnside after being shot.—
Taylor Romine,
CNN Money,
10 Jan. 2026
Verb
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While Hilton has been involved in various ways with the festival, for the past several years the person selecting the musicals being read has been Michael Fling, who began as an artistic associate at Goodspeed in 2019 and became its associate artistic director in 2024.—
Christopher Arnott,
Hartford Courant,
12 Jan. 2026
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When selecting the perfect color for her look, Domingo insisted that green was the one.—
Mecca Pryor,
Essence,
12 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Rice could look to roll with Neto to start while assigning more defensive duties to a forward, while Andrews and redshirt senior guard RJ Keene provide minutes off the bench.—
Shaun Goodwin,
Idaho Statesman,
9 Jan. 2026
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This process involves choosing an instrument type, number of strings, assigning a name – all pretty intuitive.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
9 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Designating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/designating. Accessed 20 Jan. 2026.
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