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:
No detector can reliably determine whether that promise has been kept.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 22, 2026
The Billboard Hot 100 combines streaming, radio airplay and sales data to determine the most popular songs in the U.S. each week.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2026
A 10-member committee has now been set-up to determine exactly what happened.
From BBC ● Sep. 22, 2026
This quick acceleration and braking can help insects determine their position and maintain clear vision.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 22, 2026
Leah, Maggie, and Kate kept quiet, and let the public determine the truth.
From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock
The scion above it determines the type of fruit.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 19, 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
They also studied how the process varied with momentum transfer, which determines the spatial scale being examined inside the nucleus.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 12, 2026
If the league determines that Nacua violated the NFL’s personal conduct policy, he could be suspended.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026
Dobzhansky could now restate the essential truth of Mendel’s discovery—a gene determines a physical feature—by generalizing that idea across multiple genes and multiple features: a genotype determines a phenotype.
From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee
The cause or extent of the loss of movement he experienced has not yet been determined, she said.
From BBC ● Sep. 22, 2026
“Law enforcement in Santa Clara County must be equally determined to be incorruptible as it is determined to protect our community.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2026
After consulting an independent adviser, Ingenia said its board determined that the revised proposal still substantially undervalued the company and wasn’t in the best interests of its shareholders.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 21, 2026
Authorities at the Temple in Jerusalem determined important dates using the prevailing calendar, but the Qumran sect rejected the idea that human leaders should have that power.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 20, 2026
Penelope was determined to change the subject away from evil bears and dangerous muskets.
From "The Hidden Gallery" by Maryrose Wood
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
The immediate goal is more fundamental: determining whether one of Einstein's central principles also holds for a different generation of particles.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 18, 2026
Treasurers are also determining whether their investment allocations remain appropriate, he said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026
Selling the property for fair market value would also give your cousin funds, which would be included if determining his eligibility.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 17, 2026
After observing for a while and determining that they were harmless, I decided to go down to the river for a swim as well.
From "A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier" by Ishmael Beah
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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