fate
[noun]
Synonyms:
- destiny, chance, divine will, fortune, kismet, nemesis, predestination, providence
- fortune, cup, horoscope, lot, portion, stars

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Contrasted words: accident, chance, fortune, hazard, luck
Related Words: consequence, effect, issue, outcome, result, upshot, end, ending, termination, ineluctability, inescapableness, inevitability, inevitableness, unavoidability

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English Thesaurus: later, following, future, subsequent, succeeding, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

fate /feɪt/ noun
[Date: 1300-1400; Language: French; Origin: Latin fatum 'what has been spoken (by the gods)', from fari 'to speak']

1. [countable usually singular] the things that happen to someone or something, especially unpleasant things that end their existence or end a particular period:
I wouldn’t wish such a fate on my worst enemy.
fate of
No one knows what the fate of the hostages will be.

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.
⇒ tempt fate at tempt(3)

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

fate
noun
I. sb/sth's future
ADJ. awful, dreadful, grim, terrible | cruel, unhappy | tragic | worse They decided to kill themselves rather than suffer a worse fate at the hands of their enemy.
common, normal, usual | likely Under-representation is the likely fate of small parties.
ultimate | unknown The ultimate fate of the captured troops is unknown.
the same, similar She broke her ankle before the big match, then suffered the same fate a month later.
VERB + FATE face He faces a grim fate if he is sent back to his own country.
meet, suffer, undergo | share He had no desire to share the fate of his executed comrades.
avoid, escape She managed to escape the fate of the other rebels.
deserve What had he done to deserve such a terrible fate?
accept, be resigned to The condemned men were resigned to their fate.
bemoan, bewail Instead of just bemoaning your fate, why not do something to change it?
ponder | seal He had signed his confession and sealed his own fate.
decide An extraordinary general meeting to decide the company's fate will be held on Thursday.
abandon sb/sth to, leave sb/sth to The generals abandoned the men to their fate.
rescue/save sb/sth from | discover, hear (of), know (of), learn (of) He will learn of his fate in court tomorrow.
await The convicts awaited their fate in prison.
FATE + VERB await sb/sth, be/lie in store for sb/sth They were warned of the dreadful fate that awaited them if ever they returned to their homes.
befall sb/sth Worst of all was the fate that befell the captured rebel general.
be/hang in the balance The fate of the African wild dog hangs in the balance (= is uncertain).
PHRASES hold/have sb/sth's fate in your hands The jury held the fate of the accused in their hands.
leave/place/put your fate in sb's hands, a fate worse than death (often humorous) Obeying her parents' wishes for her life seemed a fate worse than death.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

fate
II. power controlling everything
ADJ. cruel He believed that the universe was controlled by the whims of a cruel fate.
kind Fate was kind to me.
VERB + FATE believe in Such coincidences are almost enough to make one believe in fate.
tempt It would be tempting fate to say that we will definitely win the game.
leave sth to I have a great deal of trust and I leave everything to fate.
FATE + VERB decide sth, decree sth Fate decreed that she would never reach America.
intervene He secretly hoped that fate would intervene and save him having to meet her.
strike Only weeks after her previous injury, fate struck again, leaving her unable to compete.
deal a/its hand, deal sb a hand Anne accepted the cruel hand that fate had dealt her.
take a hand Fate took a hand in (= influenced) the outcome of the championship.
PHRASES an accident/quirk/turn/twist of fate It seemed a cruel twist of fate that the composer should have died so young.
the hand of fate The new job had come at just the right time for him. Was it the hand of fate?

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

fate

suffer a fate
We must prevent other children from suffering the same fate.
meet a fate
The beautiful old building met a sad fate when it was sold off to property developers.
decide/settle sb’s/sth’s fate
The meeting will decide the fate of the factory.
The court’s decision settled Anderson’s fate.
seal sb’s fate (=make it certain that something bad will happen to someone, especially that they will die)
Engine failure sealed the pilot’s fate.
leave/abandon somebody to their fate (=leave someone in a bad situation)
The abandoned sailors were left to their fate on the island.
discover/find out sb’s fate
He only discovered his sister’s fate after the war.
resign yourself to/accept your fate
I had no choice but to resign myself to my fate.
a fate awaits somebody formal (=a fate will happen to someone)
A terrible fate awaited any soldier who was captured.
a fate befalls somebody formal (=someone suffers a particular fate)
I wondered what fate would befall me.
the same fate
He did not intend to meet the same fate as his companion.
a similar fate
The project suffered a similar fate to many of its predecessors.
sb’s ultimate fate (=what finally happens to someone)
The ultimate fate of the refugees is in our hands.
a terrible/horrible/grim fate
The crew of the ship met a terrible fate.
a sad/tragic fate
The play is about the tragic fate of two lovers.
a cruel fate
She suffered a cruel fate at the hands of her captors.
an uncertain fate (=not clear, definite, or decided)
The Bill faces an uncertain fate in the Senate.
your fate is in sb’s hands (=someone will decide what happens to you)
His fate is now in the hands of the judge.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

later happening or existing at some time in the future after something or someone else:
We will discuss this at a later time.
Later historians have cast doubt on the truth of his story.
They say that they may need to review the case at a later stage.
following happening or coming immediately after something – used about periods of time, or parts of a piece of writing:
He resigned the following year.
The following day he was back to normal.
Gandhi 's attitude to religion is dealt with in the following chapter.
future likely to happen or exist at some time in the future:
What influence will this have on future developments?
subsequent formal happening or coming at some time after something else:
a subsequent decision by the Supreme Court
Subsequent events proved him wrong.
In subsequent years, the number of patients became smaller and smaller.
succeeding coming after someone or something else - used about a series of groups of people, periods of time, or parts of a book:
His work was admired by succeeding generations.
Over the succeeding months, the stitches were carefully removed.
These problems are further discussed in the succeeding chapters.
predict the future (=say what will happen in the future)
No-one can predict the future of boxing.
foretell the future (=say or show what will happen in the future)
Some people think that dreams can foretell the future.
see/look into the future (=know what will happen in the future)
I wish I could see into the future.
look to the future (=think about or plan for the future)
She could now look to the future with confidence.
plan for the future (also make plans for the future) (=think carefully about the future and decide what you are going to do )
As soon as she knew she was pregnant, she started to plan for the future.
face a bleak/grim etc future
Many pensioners face a bleak future.
shape somebody's future
Your boss is the one who writes your evaluations, recommends you for promotions and shapes your future.
sb’s/sth’s future lies in/with something (=it is in a particular thing )
The country’s economic future lies with its skilled workforce.
the future looks good/bright etc
The future looks good for the company.
great/good
The country has a great future.
bright/promising (=showing signs of being successful)
Her future as a tennis player looks promising.
uncertain (=not clear or decided)
The college's future is now uncertain.
bleak/grim/dark (=without anything to make you feel hopeful)
The theatre is losing money and its future looks bleak.
the immediate future (=very soon)
There will be no major changes in the immediate future.
the near future (=soon)
A new product launch is planned for the near future.
the distant future (=a long time from now)
I don't worry about what might happen in the distant future.
the dim and distant future (=a very long time from now)
He plans to get married in the dim and distant future.
for/in the foreseeable future (=as far into the future as you can possibly know)
The population is expected to keep growing for the foreseeable future.
in the not too distant future (=quite soon)
We’re planning to go there again in the not too distant future.
sb’s hopes/fears/plans for the future
What are your hopes for the future?
sb’s worries/concerns about the future
their worries about the future of the English countryside
what the future holds (=what will happen)
He is worried about what the future holds for the company.
the future the time after now:
What will life be like in the future?
The company is hoping to expand in the near future (=soon).
from now on used when saying that something will always happen in the future, starting from now:
From now on, I’m not letting anyone borrow my car.
The meetings will be held once a month from now on.
From now on, you will have to make your own lunch.
From now on, homeowners will have to get a city permit if they want to build an addition onto their homes.
years/days etc to come for a long time in the future:
In years to come, people will look back on the 20th century as a turning point in history.
Nuclear power stations will still be needed for a long time to come.
in the long/short/medium term use this to talk about what will happen over a period from now until a long, short etc time in the future:
We don’t know what will happen in the long term.
In the short term, things look good.
Aid to these countries is bound to run into billions of dollars in the long term.
on the horizon used when talking about what is likely to happen in the future:
There are some big changes on the horizon.
sb’s/sth’s future what will happen to someone or something:
He knew that his future was in films.
Shareholders will meet to decide the company’s future.
fate someone or something’s future – used especially when you are worried that something bad could happen:
The fate of the hostages remains uncertain.
The show’s fate lies in the hands of TV bosses.
destiny what will happen to someone in their life, especially something important:
Sartre believed that everyone is in charge of their own destiny.
He thinks that it is his destiny to lead the country.
the outlook what will happen, especially concerning business, the economy, or the weather:
The economic outlook looks good.
Here is the weather outlook for tomorrow.
prospect the idea or possibility that something will happen:
the awful prospect of another terrorist attack
Prospects for a peace settlement don’t look too good.
fortune what will happen to a person, organization etc in the future – used especially when talking about whether or not they will be successful:
Fans are hoping for a change in the club’s fortunes.
Two years ago, my financial fortunes took a turn for the better (=they improved).
In 1680 he decided that his fortune lay in the theatre.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

luck noun [uncountable] when good or bad things happen to people by chance:
The game involves an element of luck as well as skill.
chance noun [uncountable] the way that some things happen without being planned or caused by people:
I met her by chance on a plane to Tokyo.
Like all top athletes, he leaves nothing to chance, and trains harder than anybody.
fortune noun [uncountable] luck and the effect it has on your life:
I had the good fortune to work with some great people.
The tour was dogged by ill fortune (=it had a lot of bad luck) from the start.
Fortune has shone on the team so far this season (=they have been lucky).
fate noun [uncountable] a power that some people believe controls what happens to people and which cannot be changed or stopped:
Fate dealt him a cruel blow with the death of his wife at the age of 32.
It must have been fate that brought them together, and fate that tore them apart.
We can’t just leave it to fate.
providence noun [uncountable] a power which some people believe controls what happens in our lives and protects us:
Do you believe in divine providence (=God’s power to make things happen)?
Her life was mapped out for her by providence.
fluke noun [countable usually singular] informal something good that happens because of luck:
Their second goal was a fluke.
They won by a fluke.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

fate
feɪt
See: tempt fate or tempt the fates

[TahlilGaran] English Idioms Dictionary ▲