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ENGLISH · A WORD WITH POSSIBILITIES

determine.

To set the boundaries or limits of.

9 characters3 syllables approx.English language

Meaning & usage

verb/dɪˈtɜː(ɹ).mɪn/UK/dɪˈtɝmɪn/Canada, US/ˌdɛ.təɹˈmɪn/Philippines/dɛˈtəɹ.mɪn/Philippines
  1. To set the boundaries or limits of.

  2. To ascertain definitely; to figure out, find out, or conclude by analyzing, calculating, or investigating.

  3. To fix the form or character of; to shape; to prescribe imperatively; to regulate; to settle.

  4. To fix the course of; to impel and direct; with a remoter object preceded by to.

    The news of his father's illness determined him to depart immediately.
  5. To bring to a conclusion, as a question or controversy; to settle authoritative or judicial sentence; to decide.

    The court has determined the cause.
  6. To resolve (to do something); to establish a fixed intention; to cause (something) to come to a conclusion or decision; to lead.

    I determined to go home at once.
  7. To define or limit by adding a differentia.

  8. To bring to an end, finish; to come to an end, stop, end.

    intransitive · transitive
Where this word comes from

From Middle English determinen, from Old French determiner, French déterminer, from Latin determināre (“to bound, limit, prescribe, fix, determine”), from de + termināre (“to limit”), from terminus (“bound, limit, end”).

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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.

Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.