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
  • 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
  • This dooms the kingdom to the tyrannical rule of the villainous Priscilla (Nikki Glaser), who swoops in and snatches the throne.
    — Kevin Giraud, Variety, 23 June 2026
Definition of dooms
Verb
  • Wayne orders Priscilla to shoot Lucky, who is preparing for the worst and apologizing to God.
    — Derek Lawrence, HollywoodReporter, 19 Aug. 2026
  • Consider earlier in Episode 8, when Patricia orders a delightful takeout dinner (chicken parm, slice of pie), only to discover she’s been given a dry turkey patty and a single sausage link.
    — Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of orders
Verb
  • The leader who takes bodyful ownership of their life and enacts disciplined practices to sense its rhythms will not only enjoy greater harmony and wellbeing but bring greater coherence to their work and to their world.
    — Ginny Whitelaw, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2026
  • On just one unchanging set, an old-time concert hall designed by Rachel Hauck and made appropriately ominous, a tiny ensemble enacts a whole Greek tragedy of love and sacrifice that goes from the land of the living to the underworld and back.
    — Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 22 July 2026
Definition of enacts
Verb
  • Consumers have been feeling the pain, as refining capacity — which dictates the price of products like gasoline and diesel — has become hugely constrained.
    — Jenni Reid, CNBC, 12 Aug. 2026
  • The experience reinforced just how important location is in a city where convenience often dictates attendance.
    — Amber Love Bond, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of dictates
Verb
  • If the legislation passes and is signed by the governor, a vehicle's decibel level would have to remain within the limits established when the vehicle was originally purchased.
    — Terell Bailey, CBS News, 14 Aug. 2026
  • As time passes and questions remain unanswered, the film shows how grief connects, relationships change, and new perspectives emerge.
    — Leo Barraclough, Variety, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of passes
Verb
  • When a client requests new data, Hollow swaps versions in atomically, so reads never wait on writes and performance stays real-time.
    — Jon Stojan, USA Today, 14 Aug. 2026
  • If you're emailed anything about your order that requests payments, redelivery payments, account details, or anything similar, don't click any links in the email; go directly to Valve to double-check.
    — Jon Martindale, PC Magazine, 10 Aug. 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 20 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on ordains

Nglish: Translation of ordains for Spanish Speakers

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