fate

Pronunciation: /feɪt/

Definition of fate

1 [mass noun] the development of events outside a person’s control, regarded as predetermined by a supernatural power:fate decided his course for him his injury is a cruel twist of fate
[count noun] the course of someone’s life, or the outcome of a situation for someone or something, seen as outside their control:he stared at the faces of the committee, trying to guess his fate
[in singular] the inescapable death of a person:the guards led her to her fate

2 (the Fates) Greek & Roman Mythology the three goddesses who preside over the birth and life of humans. Each person was thought of as a spindle, around which the three Fates (Clotho, Lachesis, and Atropos) would spin the thread of human destiny.
(Fates)another term for Norns.

(be fated)

be destined to happen, turn out, or act in a particular way: [with infinitive]:the regime was fated to end badly

Phrases

a fate worse than death: see death.
seal someone's fate: make it inevitable that something unpleasant will happen to someone: he had cheated the boss and sealed his own fate

late Middle English: from Italian fato or (later) from its source, Latin fatum 'that which has been spoken', from fari 'speak'

Definition of fate in the US English dictionary