ordains

verb

present tense third-person singular of ordain
1
as in destines
to determine the fate of in advance he is stoic in the face of adversity, bolstered by his faith that everything in life has been ordained by a higher power

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
2
as in orders
to request the doing of by virtue of one's authority a new bill that would ordain the funding of public schools through state lottery revenues

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in enacts
to put into effect through legislative or authoritative action the founders of the African republic ordained a form of government that was closely modeled on that of the United States

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 ordains And one of the tenets of that faith is that God ordains everything. — Scott Pelley, CBS News, 26 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ordains
  1. dooms
  2. orders
  3. enacts
  4. dictates
  5. passes
  6. requests
Verb
  • Despite some promise across its eight episodes, the Prime original series builds to a deflating conclusion that dooms the entire project.
    — Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 8 Oct. 2026
  • Fans continue to ask Carney about Hadestown’s climactic moment, when Orpheus dooms Eurydice forever by turning to look at her on the road back from hell.
    — Jack Smart, PEOPLE, 23 July 2026
Definition of dooms
Verb
  • Continue reading … COURT ORDER — Judge orders Trump to sit for deposition in his $10B defamation lawsuit against BBC.
    — , FOXNews.com, 23 Oct. 2026
  • According to the lawsuit, Thomas frequently visits McDonald’s and orders a Quarter Pounder with cheese, fries and a Coke.
    — Dee-Ann Durbin, Los Angeles Times, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of orders
Verb
  • The legislation enacts new work requirements and greater vetting for Medicaid, the low-income program that thousands of Alaskans depend on for healthcare.
    — Matthew Choi The Washington Post, Arkansas Online, 17 Oct. 2026
  • The rest of the network enacts the decision, as other genes are activated or suppressed farther downstream, but isn’t active in it.
    — Quanta Magazine, Quanta Magazine, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of enacts
Verb
  • Protocol dictates that the family of the deceased later send return gifts that are worth half the value of the cash gift that was given.
    — Mimi Hanaoka, The Conversation, 21 Oct. 2026
  • Cade Cunningham is the leader of this team, and his health pretty much dictates how well this team will do.
    — David Troy OutKick, FOXNews.com, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of dictates
Verb
  • Heytens was deeply skeptical that the Virginia law purporting to regulate federal officers passes constitutional muster.
    — Jack Birle, The Washington Examiner, 28 Oct. 2026
  • Any savings assumes that local governments don’t raise property tax rates to make up for homestead revenue lost if Amendment 3 passes.
    — Max Klaver, Miami Herald, 28 Oct. 2026
Definition of passes
Verb
  • The suit also requests an assessment of potential future civil penalties against the city, per the motion.
    — Claire Murphy, Chicago Tribune, 22 Oct. 2026
  • The older man, plagued by an unknown illness, requests the narrator bury him and return to the location later, but bids him not to tell others of his death.
    — Maria Papadouris, JSTOR Daily, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of requests

Browse Nearby Words

ordaining
ordains
ordeal
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Cite this Entry

“Ordains.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ordains. Accessed 30 Oct. 2026.

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