determines

verb

present tense third-person singular of determine
1
as in decides
to give an opinion about (something at issue or in dispute) a three-member panel will determine the case

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2
as in chooses
to come to a judgment about after discussion or consideration trying to determine which direction we were facing

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3
as in finds
to come upon after searching, study, or effort we failed to determine the answer to the riddle

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4
as in ceases
to come to an end your participation in the savings plan determines with the termination of your employment here

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5
as in settles
to make final, definite, or beyond dispute your choice of college could determine the rest of your life

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of determines Of course, our bodies are all different, and this determines how quickly—or slowly—our hair grows. — Carly Cardellino Vaccaro, InStyle, 5 Sep. 2026 If the Interior Department determines the animals have met recovery goals, the administration will also work with states to encourage them to remove state-level protections and revise standards governing lethal wolf removal. — Anthony Thompson, USA Today, 5 Sep. 2026 If that analysis determines a project needs additional infrastructure, the developer must pay for those project-specific improvements including main extensions, line upgrades and capacity improvements. — Nora O'Neill, Charlotte Observer, 4 Sep. 2026 Making the right choice between scale-up and scale-out data systems determines what AI can accomplish in production. — Gopi Duddi, Forbes.com, 4 Sep. 2026 Researchers have now collected experimental evidence that determines how much titanium-44 is created in a supernova, finding that these cosmic explosions produce 35% more of this element than expected. — Robert Lea, Space.com, 4 Sep. 2026 If the secretary determines the criteria have been met, the order directs the department to begin that process. — Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 4 Sep. 2026 Rather bizarrely, that means Nvidia is in the hands of the oil market, because the oil market determines inflation and inflation determines Warsh's thinking. — Jim Cramer, CNBC, 30 Aug. 2026 The Algorithm then runs the numbers and determines that the only way to save the silo is for Bernard to go out to clean. — Noel Murray, Vulture, 28 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for determines
  1. decides
  2. chooses
  3. finds
  4. ceases
  5. settles
  6. opts
  7. learns
  8. concludes
Verb
  • If the prosecution decides to retry the case, a new jury would be selected, and the case would proceed to a new trial with a different jury.
    — Jack Birle, The Washington Examiner, 4 Sep. 2026
  • The Tate brothers remain in jail in the US while a judge decides on the request for their extradition to Britain, where they are wanted on rape charges.
    — Reuters, CNN Money, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of decides
Verb
  • If the prosecution chooses not to retry the case, Clancy would be returned to the psychiatric facility until the Plymouth County District Attorney decides to drop the charges, at which point she would be released, Hershon said.
    — Rebekah Riess, CNN Money, 3 Sep. 2026
  • It's shaped by moments when a leader chooses the enterprise over the function, treats people with respect under pressure and creates confidence amid uncertainty.
    — Bala Sathyanarayanan, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of chooses
Verb
  • Being unmarked and arriving with momentum, Odegaard finds himself in a one-v-one with the goalkeeper again caught on his line.
    — Jon Mackenzie, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
  • Bridgespan’s report finds that families in middle-income countries are more likely to administer their own programs than those in higher-income countries.
    — Nicholas Gordon, Fortune, 7 Sep. 2026
Definition of finds
Verb
  • The turf needs this lead time to absorb the nutrients before growth ceases in winter.
    — Megan Hughes, Better Homes & Gardens, 2 Sep. 2026
  • Melting then ceases, leaving a thin crust on the surface of the fragment.
    — Robert Lea, Space.com, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of ceases
Verb
  • Adebo could see some action against three-receiver sets regardless, depending on what Harbaugh settles with at the slot corner spot.
    — Pat Leonard, New York Daily News, 28 Aug. 2026
  • As the fiscal reality of these mandates settles in communities across the state, the scramble of local governments to avoid cutting both core and beloved school programs like Outdoor School will become even more frantic.
    — Chris Roemer, Baltimore Sun, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of settles
Verb
  • If the district attorney opts to downgrade charges against Clancy, the parties could potentially come to a plea agreement to avoid a second trial.
    — Lauren del Valle, CNN Money, 4 Sep. 2026
  • There is a seven-day retention option, but Waybourn said the county opts for the longer retention to give crime victims more time to come forward.
    — Rachel Royster, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of opts
Verb
  • The room learns which problems get named and which ones get talked around.
    — Mohamed AL Hashemi, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 2026
  • Welcome to a Monday Nightcaps — the one where a Texas high school football team learns the hard way not to disrespect the great state of Florida.
    — Zach Dean OutKick, FOXNews.com, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of learns
Verb
  • Three-quarters of the way through an all-in-all pretty thrilling Reacher season, a picaresque episode introduces still another villain and concludes on a particularly dire cliffhanger.
    — Chris Klimek, Vulture, 2 Sep. 2026
  • His departure concludes one of the most successful coaching tenures in junior college football history.
    — Ira Gorawara, New York Times, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of concludes

Browse Nearby Words

determinedness
determines
determining
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Cite this Entry

“Determines.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/determines. Accessed 9 Sep. 2026.

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