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:
Yusuf remains in custody, and investigations are continuing to determine the full extent of his alleged operation and whether others were involved.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
Scientists have uncovered the first direct evidence that inherited genetics can strongly influence cancer risk and help determine how tumors develop over time.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 27, 2026
The authorities are trying to determine whether the activity constituted fraud, one of the people said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026
Authorities said the investigation remains active as officers work to determine exactly what happened and whether anyone else was involved.
From Salon ● Jul. 26, 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
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Volatility is a key component in the pricing of options, as it determines how likely a strike price will be reached, depending on the time to expiry.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 22, 2026
A key provision of the new accord would have American companies build an uranium enrichment facility in Saudi Arabia if a joint U.S.-Saudi study determines such a step would be warranted.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026
The study does not show that finger length directly determines brain size.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 17, 2026
Other sensitive topics are what role it determines carbon capture technology can play in businesses or whether they can acquire carbon credits from programmes outside the EU that would be counted towards their emissions reductions.
From Barron's ● Jul. 17, 2026
Only a modest number of factors determines whether a mammal is suitable for domestication.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
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Authorities said the suspect is known to police and has ties to Islamist circles in Berlin but also stressed investigators have not yet determined a motive or whether he acted alone.
From Salon ● Jul. 26, 2026
Buoyed by the development, the small southern African country is determined to go much further in its drive for local processing of its resources, even eyeing its own production of rechargeable lithium batteries.
From Barron's ● Jul. 26, 2026
Researchers at Uppsala University have determined that the Sun contains 55 percent more silver than earlier calculations suggested.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 25, 2026
The results of those attacks couldn’t be determined.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 25, 2026
The ones in the race are determined to keep climbing, and the kids on the ground are cheering them on.
From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold
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Another challenge can be determining what constitutes a "reasonable adjustment," a sticking point which can be what ends up being decided in a tribunal.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
"The court took into account the sharp rise in the value of the defendant's shareholdings when determining the property division ratio," Friday's court statement said.
From Barron's ● Jul. 24, 2026
Much of that uncertainty comes from the difficulty of determining how quickly Antarctica will lose ice.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 23, 2026
And though a film’s contextual significance is an important part of determining what is and isn’t a timeless movie, applicability isn’t everything, either.
From Salon ● Jul. 22, 2026
The Department declared, however, that it would continue to cooperate with the Forest Service “in determining ways to minimize adverse effects.”
From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson
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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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