Library / English Dictionary

FATE

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 I. (noun) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

An event (or a course of events) that will inevitably happen in the future

Synonyms:

destiny; fate

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural events

Hypernyms ("fate" is a kind of...):

happening; natural event; occurrence; occurrent (an event that happens)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "fate"):

inevitable (an unavoidable event)

karma ((Hinduism and Buddhism) the effects of a person's actions that determine his destiny in his next incarnation)

kismat; kismet ((Islam) the will of Allah)

predestination (previous determination as if by destiny or fate)

day of reckoning; doom; doomsday; end of the world (an unpleasant or disastrous destiny)

Derivation:

fate (decree or designate beforehand)

Sense 2

Meaning:

The ultimate agency regarded as predetermining the course of events (often personified as a woman)

Example:

we are helpless in the face of destiny

Synonyms:

destiny; fate

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Hypernyms ("fate" is a kind of...):

causal agency; causal agent; cause (any entity that produces an effect or is responsible for events or results)

Holonyms ("fate" is a part of...):

occult; supernatural (supernatural forces and events and beings collectively)

Derivation:

fate (decree or designate beforehand)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Your overall circumstances or condition in life (including everything that happens to you)

Example:

success that was her portion

Synonyms:

circumstances; destiny; fate; fortune; lot; luck; portion

Classified under:

Nouns denoting stable states of affairs

Hypernyms ("fate" is a kind of...):

condition (a mode of being or form of existence of a person or thing)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "fate"):

good fortune; good luck; luckiness (an auspicious state resulting from favorable outcomes)

providence (a manifestation of God's foresightful care for his creatures)

bad luck; ill luck; misfortune; tough luck (an unfortunate state resulting from unfavorable outcomes)

failure (lack of success)

 II. (verb) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Decree or designate beforehand

Example:

She was destined to become a great pianist

Synonyms:

designate; destine; doom; fate

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Hypernyms (to "fate" is one way to...):

ordain (issue an order)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s somebody to INFINITIVE

Derivation:

fate (an event (or a course of events) that will inevitably happen in the future)

fate (the ultimate agency regarded as predetermining the course of events (often personified as a woman))

Credits

 Context examples: 

The acetyl-CoA produced by mitochondrial beta-oxidation of fatty acids enters the Kreb's cycle to produce energy, but that is not the only fate of acetyl-CoA.

(Formation of Ketone Bodies from Acetyl-CoA Pathway, NCI Thesaurus/BIOCARTA)

It may function in cell polarity, cell fate specification and cancer.

(Frizzled 4, NCI Thesaurus)

But it was only a stroke of fate.

(Martin Eden, by Jack London)

Insulin-like growth factor-binding protein 3 (291 aa, 32 kD) is a cell fate protein that is encoded by the human IGFBP3 gene and has roles in regulation of myoblast differentiation and regulation of apoptosis.

(Insulin-Like Growth Factor-Binding Protein 3, NCI Thesaurus)

Many homeodomain genes arranged in genomic clusters determine anterior-posterior patterning, while others determine the fate of cells in specific tissues.

(HOP Pathway, NCI Thesaurus/BIOCARTA)

One word as to the fate of the London pterodactyl.

(The Lost World, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

Interleukin-2 receptor alpha chain (272 aa, 31 kD) is a cell fate protein that is encoded by the human IL2RA gene and has roles in immune response, cell proliferation, apoptosis and signal transduction.

(Interleukin-2 Receptor Alpha Chain, NCI Thesaurus)

My Dearest Margaret, I can no longer restrain my passion, and must know my fate before I return.

(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)

Mouse Meis1 regulates Pbx1 protein activity by promoting nuclear import and specifies cell fates and differentiation patterns along the proximodistal limb axis.

(Homeobox Protein Meis1, NCI Thesaurus)

The pyruvate produced has one of three metabolic fates, to either become acetyl-CoA, ethanol, or lactate.

(Glycolysis Pathway, NCI Thesaurus/BIOCARTA)