as in to destine
to determine the fate of in advance
we are such good friends, it's almost like we were foreordained to meet
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Recent Examples of foreordain
Wagner commented that in opera the orchestra should act as a medium of premonition, indicating what is foreordained but not yet foreseen.
—
Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 7 Oct. 2024
Before anything else is said about Lana Del Rey’s new album, let it be noted that however well the record came out, it was foreordained to come in second among her artistic works of the past year.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 24 Mar. 2023
Pelosi is more than happy for additional evidence to be disclosed and for the Senate to call witnesses, even after the House has impeached and when the resolution of the trial is foreordained.
—Matthew Continetti, National Review, 17 Jan. 2020
The outcome was not foreordained, for either Bork or Mr. Biden.
—Alexander Burns, New York Times, 7 Sep. 2019
The 41st president, who couldn’t always get his sentences straight, wasn’t foreordained for history’s hall of fame.
—Josef Joffe, WSJ, 3 Dec. 2018
Aster piles on the personal confrontations and emotional breakdowns, but compounds them with unnerving new hauntings, all the way up to an ending that feels foreordained, but still shattering.
—Tasha Robinson, The Verge, 8 June 2018
Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 7 Oct. 2024
Before anything else is said about Lana Del Rey’s new album, let it be noted that however well the record came out, it was foreordained to come in second among her artistic works of the past year.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 24 Mar. 2023
Pelosi is more than happy for additional evidence to be disclosed and for the Senate to call witnesses, even after the House has impeached and when the resolution of the trial is foreordained.
—Matthew Continetti, National Review, 17 Jan. 2020
The outcome was not foreordained, for either Bork or Mr. Biden.
—Alexander Burns, New York Times, 7 Sep. 2019
The 41st president, who couldn’t always get his sentences straight, wasn’t foreordained for history’s hall of fame.
—Josef Joffe, WSJ, 3 Dec. 2018
Aster piles on the personal confrontations and emotional breakdowns, but compounds them with unnerving new hauntings, all the way up to an ending that feels foreordained, but still shattering.
—Tasha Robinson, The Verge, 8 June 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for foreordain
Verb
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Major ship lines Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd have stopped accepting most cargo destined for the Persian Gulf countries.—
Vanessa Yurkevich,
CNN Money,
6 Mar. 2026
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Last week, Hungary blocked a new package of EU sanctions on Russia in response to interruptions in Russian oil supplies that pass through Ukraine, and vowed to block a major, $106 billion EU loan destined for Kyiv until oil flows resume.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
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As such, both are equally bound to an elaborate code of ethics ordained by the Florida Supreme Court.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
3 Mar. 2026
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He was ordained in 1968 and received his divinity degree from Chicago Theological Seminary in 2000.—
Hannah Hudnall,
USA Today,
25 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Leaders today should remember the story of Neville Chamberlain because, as George Santayana said, whoever shall forget the past is doomed to repeat it.—
Bobby Zirkin,
Baltimore Sun,
8 Mar. 2026
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But then the 1-20 stretch early last season doomed such hopes.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
8 Mar. 2026
Verb
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If so, this romance will feel fated, as if it were meant to be.—
Georgia Nicols,
Denver Post,
9 Mar. 2026
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Those who keep going aren’t always confident, or tougher than anyone else, or fated to a grand destiny.—
JD Barker,
Rolling Stone,
2 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Foreordain.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/foreordain. Accessed 11 Mar. 2026.
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