Determine Meaning
/dɪˈtɜː(ɹ).mɪn/Definition, CEFR level B1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
verbTo set the boundaries or limits of.
verbTo ascertain definitely; to figure out, find out, or conclude by analyzing, calculating, or investigating.
Sentence Examples
No one can determine the amount of money we waste in a year.
We should determine what is to be done first.
An inquiry was set up to determine the cause of the accident.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The experiment aims to ____ the exact boiling point of ethanol.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
No one can ____ the amount of money we waste in a year.
Word Origin & History
From Middle English determinen, from Old French determiner, French déterminer, from Latin determināre (“to bound, limit, prescribe, fix, determine”), from de + termināre (“to limit”), from terminus (“bound, limit, end”).
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"[God] hath determined the times before appointed."
— 1611, Bible, KJV edition, Acts 17:26:
"The knowledge of men hitherto hath been determined by the view or sight."
— 1844, Francis Bacon, The Works of Francis Bacon, Lord Chancellor of England:
"Whether modern, industrial man is less or more warlike than his hunter-gatherer ancestors is impossible to determine. The machine gun is so much more lethal than the bow and arrow that comparisons are meaningless."
— 2013 July 20, “Old soldiers?”, in The Economist, volume 408, number 8845:
"The character of the soul is determined by the character of its God."
— 1741 July 8, Jonathan Edwards, Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God:
"something divinely beautiful […] that at some time or other might influence or even determine her course of life"
— 1913, W. Black, 1913 Webster's Dictionary:
Explore More B1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The experiment aims to ____ the exact boiling point of ethanol.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
No one can ____ the amount of money we waste in a year.