Meaning & use

fate

noun·Academic

A power believed to control future events beyond human control, or the outcome that eventually happens to someone.

See it in a sentence

She believed fate had brought them together on that crowded train platform.

The company's fate depended entirely on the outcome of the merger negotiations.

A note on using this word

Fate often implies an outcome that could not be avoided, while 'fortune' more commonly suggests luck, whether good or bad, that could have gone differently.

Words with a similar meaning

destinyfortune

Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

Make it your own

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