determine

Verb

determine (third-person singular simple present determines, present participle determining, simple past and past participle determined)

1. To set the boundaries or limits of.
   • [God] hath determined the times before appointed.1611, Bible, KJV edition, Acts 17:26
   • The knowledge of men hitherto hath been determined by the view or sight.1844, Francis Bacon, The Works of Francis Bacon, Lord Chancellor of England
2. To ascertain definitely; to figure out, find out, or conclude by analyzing, calculating, or investigating.
   • Whether modern, industrial man is less or more warlike than his hunter-gatherer ancestors is impossible to determine. The machine gun is so much more lethal than the bow and arrow that comparisons are meaningless.2013 July 20, “Old soldiers?”, in The Economist, volume 408, number 8845
3. To fix the form or character of; to shape; to prescribe imperatively; to regulate; to settle.
   • The character of the soul is determined by the character of its God.1741 July 8, Jonathan Edwards, Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God
   • something divinely beautiful […] that at some time or other might influence or even determine her course of life1913, W. Black, 1913 Webster's Dictionary
4. To fix the course of; to impel and direct; with a remoter object preceded by to.
   • The news of his father's illness determined him to depart immediately.
5. To bring to a conclusion, as a question or controversy; to settle authoritative or judicial sentence; to decide.
   • The court has determined the cause.

   Synonyms:

   find, judge, make a decision, choose up, decide, resolve, posken, make up one's mind, take a decision, work out

6. To resolve (to do something); to establish a fixed intention; to cause (something) to come to a conclusion or decision; to lead.
   • I determined to go home at once.
   • So in February, it was decided to lay up a good portion of the fleet, whose operational costs were astronomical, whilst they attempted to conduct peace negotiations, whilst simultaneously secretly trying to swing France over to the British side. But the Dutch, de Witt especially, were quite aware...2019 April 24, Drachinifel, 7:23 from the start, in The Raid on the Medway - Grand Theft Warship, archived from the original on 26 Dec 2020
7. To define or limit by adding a differentia.
8. (intransitive, transitive, otherwise obsolete) To bring to an end, finish; to come to an end, stop, end.
   • Novv, vvhere is hee, that vvill not ſtay ſo long
     Till his Friend ſickneſſe hath determin'd me?c. 1596–1599 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Second Part of Henry the Fourth, […]. Epilogue.”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […]...
   • […] whose assemblies are continued […] for the space of seven moons, after which their authority determines, and writs are issued for new elections.1728, Samuel Johnson, The State of Affairs in Lilliput