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:
The sanity phase of the trial will determine whether he was insane at the time of the act.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 25, 2026
Coroners would determine the cause and manner of his death, the national park said.
From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026
For Mahony, it isn’t profit and loss that will determine DSI’s success, but the credibility it brings to Indonesia’s market.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026
Buckingham’s office is now surveying state tracts in the area and “conducting a thorough review of relevant titles and deeds to better determine the location and extent of any potential trespass,” she added.
From Salon ● Aug. 24, 2026
Weismann had surgically excised the tails of five generations of mice, then bred the mice to determine if the offspring would be born tailless.
From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee
But as important is the emperor’s-new-clothes effect, which determines when it’s personally advantageous to ignore plainly obvious realities.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 18, 2026
For cosmology, gravity determines how matter behaves across enormous distances.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 18, 2026
And with left tackle Alaric Jackson possibly facing a suspension if the NFL determines that he violated the league’s personal conduct policy, Trost could be counted on immediately.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 15, 2026
Your cost of living now likely determines your cost of living in retirement.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 10, 2026
Rank determines whom it can associate with and how; where and when it can eat; where it can rest; where it can drink; and so on.
From "Life of Pi" by Yann Martel
Previously, graduate students could borrow up to the full cost of attendance as determined by the school.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 24, 2026
“I was told it wouldn’t work, but that just made me more determined to prove that a focused concept would work.”
From Slate ● Aug. 24, 2026
He was always quiet, calm, determined, seemingly from birth, according to his father, Lee.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 23, 2026
It must learn to be as determined and inventive as Ukraine.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 23, 2026
After Jimmie started working, I was determined to pursue the job Eric had told me about at NACA.
From "Reaching for the Moon" by Katherine Johnson
The initial phase of the trial, which concluded Monday, focused on determining whether Salazar committed the killing.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 25, 2026
It also includes examining the company’s portfolio, which involves determining what it might outsource.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026
The team discovered that electrical charge is a key factor in determining whether antibody fragments can remain stable and functional inside cells.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 20, 2026
Quinn Yeargain, a professor of the law of democracy at Michigan State University College of Law, said Median’s intent would be a decisive factor in determining whether any laws were broken.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026
One of the first tasks assigned to the new technique was determining the age of the Clovis culture.
From "1491" by Charles C. Mann
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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