What does "determine" mean?
To set the boundaries or limits of.
Determine
/dɪˈtɝmɪn/ verb
verb ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: To set the boundaries or limits of.
- Grammar: determine is listed as verb.
- Nearest alternatives: ascertain, decide, influence, settle.
- Useful contrasts: random guessing, underdetermined, chance of.
- Usage evidence: No one can determine the amount of money we waste in a year.
How to use "determine"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "determine" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "determine" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "determine" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "determine" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "determine" is acting as verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "ascertain" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "determine", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Verb
- 1 To set the boundaries or limits of.
"[God] hath determined the times before appointed."
- 2 reach, make, or come to a decision about something wordnet
- 3 To ascertain definitely; to figure out, find out, or conclude by analyzing, calculating, or investigating.
"Whether modern, industrial man is less or more warlike than his hunter-gatherer ancestors is impossible to determine. The machine gun is so much more lethal than the bow and arrow that comparisons are meaningless."
- 4 fix conclusively or authoritatively wordnet
- 5 To fix the form or character of; to shape; to prescribe imperatively; to regulate; to settle.
"The character of the soul is determined by the character of its God."
Show 11 more definitions
- 6 fix in scope; fix the boundaries of wordnet
- 7 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."
- 8 shape or influence; give direction to wordnet
- 9 To bring to a conclusion, as a question or controversy; to settle authoritative or judicial sentence; to decide.
"The court has determined the cause."
- 10 settle conclusively; come to terms wordnet
- 11 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."
- 12 establish after a calculation, investigation, experiment, survey, or study wordnet
- 13 To define or limit by adding a differentia.
- 14 find out, learn, or determine with certainty, usually by making an inquiry or other effort wordnet
- 15 To bring to an end, finish; to come to an end, stop, end. intransitive, transitive
"Novv, vvhere is hee, that vvill not ſtay ſo long Till his Friend ſickneſſe hath determin'd me?"
- 16 decide upon or fix definitely wordnet
Antonyms
Example
"No one can determine the amount of money we waste in a year."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "determine"?
Common synonyms include: ascertain, decide, influence, settle, shape, abort.
How do you use "determine" in a sentence?
No one can determine the amount of money we waste in a year.
How do you pronounce "determine"?
Pronounced /dɪˈtɝmɪn/.
Etymology
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”).