Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • transitive verb To determine or appoint beforehand; predestine.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • To ordain or appoint beforehand; preordain; predestinate; predetermine.
  • Synonyms See predestinate.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • transitive verb To ordain or appoint beforehand; to preordain; to predestinate; to predetermine.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • verb transitive To predestine or preordain.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • verb foreordain or determine beforehand
  • verb foreordain by divine will or decree

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From fore- +‎ ordain.

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Examples

  • ‘O Allah, I swear by Thy Greatness and Thy Glory, I meant not through my disobedience to transgress against Thee; for indeed I am not ignorant of Thee; but my fault is one Thou didst foreordain to me from eternity without beginning; 357 so do Thou pardon my transgression, for indeed I disobeyed Thee of my ignorance!’

    The Book of The Thousand Nights And A Night 2006

  • But in trying to cut off speculation, he appeared to foreordain the final judgment.

    The Real Cover-Up 2008

  • So I don't think that you can, uh, foresee or foreordain any particular outcome, but I do think what we're all saying is that there is, at least in our experience, more of an openness to process, to bring people together to the table, that collaboration and collegiality.

    Archive 2007-01-14 Sinfonian 2007

  • The strength and organization of those fields clearly foreordain the presence of different coronal structures coronal streamers, holes plumes, condensations, etc., the global form of the eclipse corona, and the position and shape of the heliospheric current sheet.

    IPCC and Solar Correlations « Climate Audit 2007

  • So I don't think that you can, uh, foresee or foreordain any particular outcome, but I do think what we're all saying is that there is, at least in our experience, more of an openness to process, to bring people together to the table, that collaboration and collegiality.

    A woman's place is in the Senate Sinfonian 2007

  • Zill notes that while coming from a disrupted family significantly increases a young adult's risks of experiencing social, emotional or academic difficulties, it does not foreordain such difficulties.

    Dan Quayle Was Right 1993

  • Zill notes that while coming from a disrupted family significantly increases a young adult's risks of experiencing social, emotional or academic difficulties, it does not foreordain such difficulties.

    Dan Quayle Was Right 1993

  • Zill notes that while coming from a disrupted family significantly increases a young adult's risks of experiencing social, emotional or academic difficulties, it does not foreordain such difficulties.

    Dan Quayle Was Right 1993

  • Zill notes that while coming from a disrupted family significantly increases a young adult's risks of experiencing social, emotional or academic difficulties, it does not foreordain such difficulties.

    Dan Quayle Was Right 1993

  • Q Some folks on Capitol Hill say that that's the problem, that if the result is foreordain, then that starts the fight, that there will be a floor amendment and you've got an early showdown on this issue --

    Dee Dee Myers Press Briefing ITY National Archives 1993

Comments

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  • we've gotta put up a Best of Weirdnet list.

    June 19, 2009

  • Erm...

    June 19, 2009

  • *THE SHAME*

    (if I delete mine, will you delete yours?)

    June 19, 2009

  • Delete your what? And no I won't. But please do proffer. And now I'll laugh heartily to bed.

    June 19, 2009

  • This is also known as the Weirdnet paradox.

    June 19, 2009