1
as in destinies
a state or end that seemingly has been decided beforehand
the belief that it was this country's fate to extend from sea to sea
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in outcomes
a condition or occurrence traceable to a cause
the fate of the presidential election hinged on a few thousand votes in a single state
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in deaths
the permanent stopping of all the vital bodily activities
he met his fate in a tragic highway accident
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in destines
to determine the fate of in advance
the warning that the lack of an advanced education will fate a person to a lifetime of below-average earnings
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of fates
Vivian Salama, The Atlantic, 14 May 2026
And within his own country’s history, particularly, Dhont discovered the fates that met would-be deserters who were caught — brutal sentences often leading to death.
—David Canfield, HollywoodReporter, 12 May 2026
The fates are about to reveal themselves … in the form of 14 white plastic spheres.
—Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 10 May 2026
But the prevailing auditory sense that stands out in memory is an uncanny calmness, met by a student trapped inside, alive and aware, who cut through the stillness to comfort his peers while their fates remained sealed between earth and steel.
—Jake Goodrick, Sacbee.com, 9 May 2026
Presumably, the fates were not kind to Pete Best.
—Philip Martin, Arkansas Online, 9 May 2026
Many of the regulars have already met their fates and more is certainly to come ahead of the series finale.
—Fred Topel, Deadline, 7 May 2026
In another fates-or-hobgoblins moment, a discombobulated Washington had started a war.
—Daniel Immerwahr, New Yorker, 4 May 2026
Ayano Go takes the role of Nomoto – the enigmatic figure whose identity is bound up with the film’s title and who holds the thread that connects both men’s fates.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 4 May 2026
Noun
Yet this is also a meeting of the world’s two most powerful presidents, so ever present amid the discussions of airplane and soybean purchases will be the fates of two other nations, Iran and Taiwan.
—Vivian Salama, The Atlantic, 14 May 2026
And within his own country’s history, particularly, Dhont discovered the fates that met would-be deserters who were caught — brutal sentences often leading to death.
—David Canfield, HollywoodReporter, 12 May 2026
The fates are about to reveal themselves … in the form of 14 white plastic spheres.
—Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 10 May 2026
But the prevailing auditory sense that stands out in memory is an uncanny calmness, met by a student trapped inside, alive and aware, who cut through the stillness to comfort his peers while their fates remained sealed between earth and steel.
—Jake Goodrick, Sacbee.com, 9 May 2026
Presumably, the fates were not kind to Pete Best.
—Philip Martin, Arkansas Online, 9 May 2026
Many of the regulars have already met their fates and more is certainly to come ahead of the series finale.
—Fred Topel, Deadline, 7 May 2026
In another fates-or-hobgoblins moment, a discombobulated Washington had started a war.
—Daniel Immerwahr, New Yorker, 4 May 2026
Ayano Go takes the role of Nomoto – the enigmatic figure whose identity is bound up with the film’s title and who holds the thread that connects both men’s fates.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 4 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fates
Noun
-
The movies before this one, their destinies were so half-hazard.—
Anthony D'Alessandro,
Deadline,
13 May 2026
-
Cannes is a maker of destinies.—
Norine Raja,
Vanity Fair,
11 May 2026
Noun
-
Next, the team is planning to analyze similar data across different countries and populations, as well as looking at how other biological outcomes could be affected by cultural engagement, Bu added.—
Jack Guy,
CNN Money,
14 May 2026
-
Brown insisted that the mechanism built into the new system, requiring local schools to adopt plans to improve outcomes, bolstered by broad state measures of accountability, would suffice.—
Dan Walters,
Mercury News,
14 May 2026
Noun
-
Frieden said that, by the time health workers detected this latest outbreak, cases have outnumbered those reported at the start of the 2014 Ebola epidemic in West Africa, which caused over 28,000 cases and 11,325 deaths over two years.—
Eduardo Cuevas,
USA Today,
18 May 2026
-
Those figures included three deaths.—
Michael Sinkewicz,
FOXNews.com,
18 May 2026
Noun
-
At a time when the world seems more absurd than ever, the need has only grown for a deftly incisive voice with the courage to decry truthiness to power, regardless of consequences.—
Eric Deggans,
NPR,
18 May 2026
-
As mental health crises and resources continue to stretch, many fear the consequences could echo the fallout from the Covid pandemic.—
Will Barker,
TheWeek,
18 May 2026
Noun
-
SpaceX, the commercial spaceflight company Musk founded in 2002, has endured a few more fiery demises of the mammoth Starship rocket since that explosive debut.—
Eric Lagatta,
USA Today,
1 May 2026
-
No reason was provided for the shops’ demises.—
Michael Deeds,
Idaho Statesman,
26 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
The message here is not that childhood trauma dooms someone to cancer, says Fuller-Thompson.—
Rob Williams,
EverydayHealth.com,
22 Apr. 2026
-
Legacy homer dooms Lake Ridge Shayla Gonzalez broke open a 1-1 tie with a 3-run home run in the top of the seventh inning and Mansfield Legacy hung on to beat Mansfield Lake Ridge 4-3 in a District 3-6A showdown on Tuesday night.—
Darren Lauber,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
15 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Important parts of a patient’s history can be too hastily discounted as red herrings; test results can come back that don’t easily fit with the story that has been told.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
20 May 2026
-
The league moved the draft to Chicago for two years, saw tremendous results and it's become a main attraction, especially for cities that wouldn't be in position for a Super Bowl.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
19 May 2026
Noun
-
What stood out most, however, was just how emotional the event was, particularly considering the many recent passings of some of our most beloved film and TV luminaries.—
Marcus Jones,
IndieWire,
2 Mar. 2026
-
When annual results are compiled each January, winners tend to be amateur grim reapers who predicted a mix of shocking young deaths and the passings of anyone over 90.—
Christopher Borrelli,
Chicago Tribune,
21 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Fates.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fates. Accessed 21 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
