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 That may or may not be the case, but that’s not what this trade determines. — Ian Miller Outkick, FOXNews.com, 2 Aug. 2026 For operators, marketers and investors, the answer determines whether a brand earns trust or simply rents attention for a season. — Peter Su, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2026 Instead of supporting only mission equipment, the neural network directly commanded the satellite bus, which determines how a spacecraft points and maneuvers in orbit. — Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 1 Aug. 2026 The timing of the snow and ice melt, plus rainfalls, determines whether a plot of thawing permafrost is waterlogged — and whether carbon isn’t just turned into CO2, but also methane, a greenhouse gas four times as potent. — Denise Hruby, Miami Herald, 31 July 2026 While the medical examiner's application determines eligibility for release, the decision is at the sole discretion of the Prisoner Review Board. — Jerry Nowicki, CBS News, 31 July 2026 Testimony from Colt’s grandmother, who may appear Tuesday, could provide additional insight into the boy’s upbringing and family life before the judge determines his sentence. — Danya Gainor, CNN Money, 28 July 2026 Phillips may no longer be the focus of the ethics inquiry, but he could still be asked to answer questions or supply documents as the committee determines if Collins violated any laws or rules. — Tia Mitchell, AJC.com, 27 July 2026 How the Fed affects your wallet The Fed's benchmark interest rate determines what banks charge one another for overnight loans. — Jessica Dickler, CNBC, 27 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for determines
  1. decides
  2. chooses
  3. finds
  4. ceases
  5. settles
  6. opts
  7. learns
  8. concludes
Verb
  • So there could be a world where Arteta decides to start them as a pair again.
    — Art de Roché, New York Times, 31 July 2026
  • The job is to define what the seat requires out loud and test every candidate against it, so the proof women already produce decides.
    — Julia Rafal-Baer, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026
Definition of decides
Verb
  • Bi chooses Jude as his rival; Jude chooses the arctic wolf as their muse.
    — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 31 July 2026
  • Graham is the unabashed matriarch of the flock, who every year chooses the destination, books the hut, plans the menu, does meal prep, and designs the commemorative T-shirts.
    — Tiney Ricciardi, Denver Post, 30 July 2026
Definition of chooses
Verb
  • The show finds ways to expose the worst in its characters, their pettiest, most vengeful, greediest parts.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 3 Aug. 2026
  • Also screening is Andrey Zvyagintsev’s Minotaur, another feature from Cannes, following a successful company director called Gleb, who finds himself under siege from mounting corporate pressures and an increasingly unstable world.
    — Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of finds
Verb
  • As the word ceases to mean a ceasing of fire, new terms have been coined.
    — Harmeet Kaur, CNN Money, 17 July 2026
  • This is not only devastating because Aang appears fatally injured, but because if an Avatar dies in the Avatar State, the entire cycle of Avatar reincarnation ceases and the earth’s balance is forever lost.
    — Skyler Trepel, PEOPLE, 26 June 2026
Definition of ceases
Verb
  • Named for nebbia, the Italian word for the heavy layer of fog that settles over the vineyards around harvest time in early autumn, Nebbiolo has been cultivated in Piedmont for more than 750 years.
    — Mike DeSimone, Robb Report, 2 Aug. 2026
  • Then the camera settles on Anna’s face and stays there long enough to watch her smile give out, a choice Adams says wasn’t necessarily written that way.
    — JP Mangalindan, Time, 31 July 2026
Definition of settles
Verb
  • The idea is that each family member opts to tap into AI to get mental health guidance.
    — Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2026
  • Common opts for a mustard yellow look at ABC studios on July 27 in New York City.
    — Stephanie Sengwe, PEOPLE, 29 July 2026
Definition of opts
Verb
  • The next edge is AI that truly learns from each interaction rather than just recomputing every answer.
    — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026
  • As Tony learns on one privileged day in the otherwise empty restaurant, the man even makes his own ketchup!
    — Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 29 July 2026
Definition of learns
Verb
  • And somewhere in that arms race, the graduate who only wanted a place to learn sends her three hundredth application into a portal that will never answer, and quietly concludes that the reaching was the mistake.
    — Vibhas Ratanjee, Forbes.com, 29 July 2026
  • Online pre-bidding concludes with a live, in-person auction for the Sanders memorabilia on Tuesday evening.
    — Dylan Lovan, Los Angeles Times, 28 July 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 4 Aug. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of determines for Spanish Speakers

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