determine
Usage
What are other ways to say determine?
To determine is to arrive at a conclusion after reasoning or observation: He determined that there was no available path to victory. To resolve is to show firmness of purpose: He resolved to ask for a promotion. To decide is to make up one's mind as to what shall be done and the way to do it: He decided to go today.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
In his opinion Judge Gregory Katsas, writing for two of the three appellate judges, said "in our Republic, it is the President and the Secretary of War who must determine how best to balance" risks.
From Barron's ● Sep. 25, 2026
“It is a case-by-case and state-by-state calculation to determine whether munis are in the client’s best interest,” says Donald LaGrange, a financial adviser at Murphy & Sylvest in Dallas.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 25, 2026
“There are two key reports that will largely determine what the Fed decides to do, with the first—the September jobs report—due on Friday,” said ING economist James Knightley in a note.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026
The trial is set to determine the payout for Cheryl Augustine, who was involved in a 2022 four-vehicle traffic accident in which she claims Schwarzenegger’s reckless driving caused her significant, life-altering injuries.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026
There was a singing contest to determine the worst singer, and the votes overwhelmingly went to the Boss.
From "Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World" by Jennifer Armstrong
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But the company determines the behavior of each new version, and the military must keep up to date on the latest offerings, the Washington appeals court found.
From Barron's ● Sep. 25, 2026
Known to physicists as big G, this fundamental number determines the strength of gravitational attraction throughout the universe.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 20, 2026
A trial of the facts is an option that is open to prosecutors if a court determines that a person is unfit to stand trial and criminal proceedings cannot go ahead.
From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026
People are commonly greeted by wishing that their names be inscribed in the Book of Life—because on Rosh Hashanah God examines our past deeds and determines our individual fates for the following year.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026
“The first is that it determines the order in which you will select a job after initiation. There are only a few desirable positions available.”
From "Divergent" by Veronica Roth
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He had returned two kickoffs for touchdowns against Hart coach Jake Goossen over the past two years, so Goossen was determined to not let it happen again.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 26, 2026
I was also determined to assign and sell the remaining seven years on Tabla’s lease.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 2026
"We determined it's in the best interest of our club, players and support staff to dismiss Federico Higuain from his responsibilities," Crew general manager Issa Tall said in a statement.
From BBC ● Sep. 23, 2026
Despite adversity, Eckhart was determined in her October 2025 post.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2026
If the cottonmouths hadn’t been enraged before, they were now, determined to destroy the possessed branch that had just bludgeoned three of their friends.
From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman
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The policy serves as the robot's real-time decision-making system, determining how and where it should fly.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 22, 2026
But a guiding factor for courts in determining which standard applies is how useful the industry is to society.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 22, 2026
America’s homegrown narratives also have a distinctively national flavor, portraying the choices made by individuals as determining their fate.
From Salon ● Sep. 19, 2026
But even that isn’t guaranteed, since determining what qualifies for the exemption is left to the commission.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026
This is a striking case of French imposing itself upon English, and of the scientists determining for the first time the language of the theologians.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
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Vocabulary lists containing determine
Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
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Vocabulary of the Common Core
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TEKS ELAR Academic Vocabulary List (5th-7th grades)
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