Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

Date: 1300-1400
Language: Old French
Origin: determiner, from Latin terminus 'edge, limit'

determine

 verb
     
de‧ter‧mine W1 [transitive]
1 to find out the facts about something [= establish]:
Investigators are still trying to determine the cause of the fire.
determine how/what/who etc
The aim of the inquiry was to determine what had caused the accident.
determine that
Experts have determined that the signature was forged.
2 if something determines something else, it directly influences or decides it:
The amount of available water determines the number of houses that can be built.
The age of a wine is a determining factor as to how it tastes.
determine how/whether/what etc
How hard the swimmers work now will determine how they perform in the Olympics.
3 to officially decide something:
The date of the court case has not yet been determined.
determine how/what/who etc
The tests will help the doctors determine what treatment to use.
4

determine to do something

formal to decide to do something:
We determined to leave at once.
Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Advanced Learner's Dictionary.
 
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