FATE Definition & Meaning | Dictionary.com

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fate

[ feyt ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

something that unavoidably befalls a person; fortune; lot:
It is always his fate to be left behind.
Synonyms: , , ,
the universal principle or ultimate agency by which the order of things is presumably prescribed; the decreed cause of events; time:
Fate decreed that they would never meet again.
that which is inevitably predetermined; destiny:
Death is our ineluctable fate.
a prophetic declaration of what must be:
The oracle pronounced their fate.
death, destruction, or ruin.
the Fates, Classical Mythology. the three goddesses of destiny, known to the Greeks as the Moerae and to the Romans as the Parcae.

verb (used with object)

fated, fating.

to predetermine, as by the decree of fate; destine (used in the passive):
a person who was fated to be the savior of the country.
Synonyms: ,

fate

/ �ڱ�ɪ�� /

noun

the ultimate agency that predetermines the course of events
the inevitable fortune that befalls a person or thing; destiny
the end or final result
a calamitous or unfavourable outcome or result; death, destruction, or downfall

verb

tr; usually passive to predetermine; doom
he was fated to lose the game

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51�Թ� History and Origins

Origin of fate¹

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English, Middle French, from Latin ��ٳܳ� “what has been spoken, utterance, decree of fate, destiny,” originally neuter of ��ٳܲ�, past participle of ��ī “to speak”

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51�Թ� History and Origins

Origin of fate¹

C14: from Latin ��ٳܳ� oracular utterance, from ��ī to speak

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Idioms and Phrases

seal one's fate
tempt fate

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Synonym Study

Fate, destiny, doom refer to the idea of a fortune, usually adverse, that is predetermined and inescapable. The three words are frequently interchangeable. Fate stresses the irrationality and impersonal character of events: It was Napoleon's fate to be exiled. The word is often lightly used, however: It was my fate to meet her that very afternoon. Destiny emphasizes the idea of an unalterable course of events, and is often used of a propitious fortune: It was his destiny to save his nation. Doom especially applies to the final ending, always unhappy or terrible, brought about by destiny or fate: He met his doom bravely.

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

Other imported foods found on the countertops in many US kitchens could suffer a similar fate, especially those coming from European Union nations, who will all be hit by a 20% tariff.

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Sharkey's fate was decided at Liverpool Crown Court on Friday morning by judge Mrs Justice Eady, who decided the sentencing exercise "called for compassion".

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The same fate, she suspects, could befall the "Girls Gone Bible" enterprise.

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His fate is opaque and, therefore, far more realistic.

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On Wednesday, he warned in an interview with Politico that Republicans risk inviting the same fate in 2026, when he is up for re-election.

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

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