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fate definition

fate (fāt)

noun

  1. the power or agency supposed to determine the outcome of events before they occur; destiny
    1. something inevitable, supposedly determined by this power
    2. what happens or has happened to a person or entity; lot; fortune
  3. final outcome
  4. death; destruction; doom
  5. any of the three Fates

Etymology: ME < L fatum, prophetic declaration, oracle < neut. pp. of fari, to speak: see fame

transitive verb fated fat′ed, fating fat′·ing

to destine: now usually in the passive

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Alternate definitions:

idioms fate idiom

telecom FATE definition - telecom

fate Synonyms

fate

n.

  1. The predetermined course of events

    destiny, fortune, destination, luck, predetermination, predestination; see also destiny 1.

  2. A personal destiny

    lot, fortune, portion, doom, destiny, destined lot, end, future, prospect, outcome; see also doom 1.

fate refers to the inevitability of a course of events as supposedly predetermined by a god or other agency beyond human control; destiny also refers to an inevitable succession of events as determined supernaturally or by necessity, but often implies a favorable outcome it was her destiny to become famous; portion and lot refer to what is supposedly distributed in the determining of fate, but portion implies an equitable apportionment and lot implies a random assignment; doom always connotes an unfavorable or disastrous fate


Fate

n.

destiny, Nemesis, the Fates, the Weird Sisters, Parcae, the Norns, the three sisters; Clotho, Lachesis, and Atropos.


Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus Copyright © 1999 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

fate Usage Examples

Preposition: of

  • mankind: What did Enlil do in order to decide the fate of mankind?

Converse of object

  • tempt: Don't tempt fate by using computers during a local electrical storm.

Adjective modifier

  • tempting: It was thought to be tempting fate to a certain extent.

Modifies a noun

  • determination: Our group is interested in nuclear reprogramming and cell fate determination by signal factors in amphibian development.

Noun used with modifier

  • cell: This approach should lead to a more complete description of the dynamics of cell fate in the mouse.
fate usage examples (more)

The word usage examples above have been gathered from various sources to reflect current and historical usage. They do not represent the opinions of YourDictionary.com.

fate quotes

For by the will of the gods Fate hath held sway since ancient days.

-Aeschylus

G×th a wyrd swa hio scel. Fate always goes as it must.

-Anonymous

Wyrd oft nereth unf×gne eorl thonne his ellen deah. Fate often preserves the undoomed warrior when his courage holds firm.

-Anonymous

fate quotes (more)

Webster's New World Dictionary of Quotations Copyright © 2005 by Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. Published by Wiley, Hoboken, NJ. Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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"fate." Webster's New World College Dictionary. 2009

  • Your Dictionary. 5 July 2009
  • <www.yourdictionary.com/fate>

APA Style

fate. (2009). In Webster's New World College Dictionary

  • Retrieved July 5th, 2009, from www.yourdictionary.com/fate

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