Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

Date: 1300-1400
Language: French
Origin: Latin fatum 'what has been spoken (by the gods)', from fari 'to speak'

fate

 noun
     
fate
1 [countable usually singular] the things that will happen to someone, especially unpleasant eventsCOLLOCATIONS COLLOCATIONS
suffer a fate seal/decide/settle somebody's fate (=make it certain that something will happen to someone) meet the same/a similar fate leave/abandon somebody to their fate (=leave someone when something terrible could happen to them) the fate awaiting somebody (=what will happen to someone) accept a fate resign yourself to your fate (=accept it) a fate befalls somebody (=they suffer a particular fate) somebody's ultimate fate (=the final things that happen)
I wouldn't wish such a fate on my worst enemy.
fate of
No one knows what the fate of the hostages will be.
The rest of Europe was to suffer the same fate.
A meeting to decide the fate of the factory is to be held today.
She wanted to prevent other children from meeting the same fate.
They had abandoned him and left him to his fate.
Spencer's father had died young, and he feared that the same fate awaited him.
They would rather starve to death than accept the fate of slavery.
She seemed placidly resigned to her fate.
the fate that befell a captured rebel general
Nothing is known of Green's origins or ultimate fate, only that he was involved in building the church.
2 [uncountable] a power that is believed to control what happens in people's lives:
Fate plays cruel tricks sometimes.
a twist/quirk of fate (=something unexpected that happens)
By a strange twist of fate Smith's first match is against the team that gave him the sack last season.
3

a fate worse than death

something terrible that might happen to you - often used humorously:
He had rescued an innocent girl from a fate worse than death.
4

the Fates

RM the three goddesses who, according to the ancient Greeks, controlled what happened to people

➔ tempt fate

at tempt (3)
Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Advanced Learner's Dictionary.

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