fatefate /feɪt/ ●○○ noun 
I wouldn’t wish such a fate on my worst enemy.fate of No one knows what the fate of the hostages will be.► see thesaurus at future2[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.3a 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)COLLOCATIONSverbssuffer 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 somebody’s/something’s fate· The meeting will decide the fate of the factory.· The court’s decision settled Anderson’s fate.seal somebody’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 somebody’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.adjectivesthe 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.somebody’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.phrasesyour fate is in somebody’s hands (=someone will decide what happens to you)· His fate is now in the hands of the judge.
WORD ORIGINfate
Origin:
1300-1400 French, Latin fatum ‘what has been spoken (by the gods)’, from fari ‘to speak’EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- By a strange twist of fate the judge died on the very day that Cordell was executed.
- Congress will meet to discuss the fate of the US nuclear defense shield.
- He felt that fate had been very unfair to him.
- He urged a nationwide referendum to decide the fate of the country.
- It was fate that brought us together.
- The fate of the prisoners will be decided by a panel of three judges.
- They saw themselves as victims of fate.
- This afternoon's debate is likely to seal the fate of the imprisoned aid workers.
- But fate had put into his lap one of the ubiquitous nobodies.
- I am satisfied with my fate.
- It wasn't as if she was in any hurry to learn her fate.
- No, we will leave such things to fate.
- The solutions offered by New Right commentators and their fate is the subject of later chapters.
THESAURUSwhat will happen to somebody/something
what will happen to someone or something: · He knew that his future was in films.· Shareholders will meet to decide the company’s future.
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.
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.
what will happen, especially concerning business, the economy, or the weather: · The economic outlook looks good.· Here is the weather outlook for tomorrow.
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.
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.
noun [uncountable] when good or bad things happen to people by chance: · The game involves an element of luck as well as skill.
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.
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).
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.
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.
noun [countable usually singular] informal something good that happens because of luck: · Their second goal was a fluke.· They won by a fluke.
Longman Language Activatorwhen something happens without being planned if something happens by chance , it happens unexpectedly and seems to have no particular cause: · I met an old friend by chance on the train.· If by chance I'm not in when she calls, can you take a message?quite/purely/entirely by chance (=completely by chance): · Quite by chance, a TV crew was filming in the area when the accident happened.
if you do something by accident , you do it by chance and without intending to do it: · Fleming discovered penicillin almost by accident.· We ended up by accident on the wrong train and had to ride all the way to Montreal.· The trigger of the gun is locked so that it cannot be fired by accident.quite by accident (=completely by chance): · Lombardi heard about their plan quite by accident.
if you happen to do something , you do it by chance and not because of any particular reason or plan: · Justin forgot the map but I happened to have another one in the glove compartment.just happen to do something: · I'm sorry I didn't phone first -- I just happened to be passing and thought I'd drop in.· We're not related -- we just happen to have the same name.
use this to say that something happened by chance, when this is connected with what you have just been talking about: · This was the first time I had ever seen a panda, and as luck would have it, I had my camera with me.· As luck would have it, it rained the next day and the game was canceled.
a surprising situation in which two things happen that are similar or seem connected, but no-one planned or intended this to happen: · Hi Phil. What a coincidence -- we were just talking about you.by coincidence: · My mother is called Anna, and by coincidence my wife's mother is called Anna too.just a coincidence: · It was just a coincidence that we were in Paris at the same time.by a strange/sad/happy etc coincidence: · By a strange coincidence the king was assassinated on the very spot where his grandfather had been killed.
the way in which good or bad things seem to happen to people by chance: · There's no skill in a game like roulette, it's all luck.· Success is not a matter of chance - it takes a lot of hard work.pure luck/chance: · It was pure chance that we ran into each other on the street.leave something to chance (=let things happen by chance): · You must plan ahead. You can't leave these things to chance.
the power or force that is supposed to control the way everything happens, so that people cannot completely control their own lives: · It was fate that brought us together.· They saw themselves as victims of fate.by a twist of fate (=because fate made things happen in an unexpected way): · By a strange twist of fate the judge died on the very day that Cordell was executed.
something that happens by chance with no plan or intention: · I only met her again through a fortunate accident.· It is no accident that most of the country's outstanding public schools are in wealthy communities.
use this when you are talking about a situation that is surprising because by chance it is connected with something else that has been noticed or mentioned: · We've just seen a really beautiful house and, as it happens, it's for sale.· I needed to borrow a car, and as it happened Andrew wasn't using his.
what will happen to someone or something in the future what will happen to someone in their job, life etc: · I'm worried about my future.· I had a meeting with my boss to discuss my future.· You really should start thinking about your future. You're not a child anymore.
what will happen to something - use this especially to talk about whether something will be successful, will continue to exist etc: · The memo refers to a meeting in Los Angeles, where the future of the network was discussed.
what will happen to someone - used about an important official decision, or about an event in which something very bad happens: · Congress will meet to discuss the fate of the US nuclear defense shield.decide somebody's/something's fate: · The fate of the prisoners will be decided by a panel of three judges.· He urged a nationwide referendum to decide the fate of the country. somebody's/something's fate is sealed (=fixed and definite): · His fate was sealed when The New York Times learned of the situation and began preparing an article about it.seal the fate of (=decide it definitely): · This afternoon's debate is likely to seal the fate of the imprisoned aid workers.
what someone is going to do in their life and what is going to happen to them during it: · The government wants to give people more control over their own destinies.be somebody's destiny to do something: · Susan wondered whether it was her destiny to marry Jorge and live in Mexico.
a general idea of what people expect to happen in the future, and whether they expect things to go well or badly: · The economic outlook is better than it has been for several years.long-range/short-range outlook: · Company officials insist the long-range outlook for share holders will be brighter.the outlook for: · With drought conditions continuing, the outlook for farmers is not very good.
the idea or possibility that something will happen in the future: · I hope I never have to have a brain operation - it must be an appalling prospect.the prospect of something/doing something: · The prospect of putting weapons in space is frightening to many people.· I had read a great deal about Professor Chomsky and I felt very excited at the prospect of meeting him.· We are facing the prospect of a very hard winter.prospects for: · Prospects for a peace settlement in the region are not very hopeful at the moment.
to do something that involves unnecessary risks to stupidly do something that is almost certain to be dangerous or cause trouble: · Anyone who buys second-hand car tires is just asking for trouble.· You need to have a good knowledge of the industry before you buy stocks, or you're asking for trouble.
especially written if you invite trouble, criticism, attack etc, you do something that seems likely to cause you trouble or that encourages people to criticize you, attack you etc: · If you don't maintain your car regularly, you're just inviting trouble.· Not to provide aid will just invite further catastrophe in the area.
informal to do something that involves a risk of failure, because you have been successful when you have done it before: · I think I'd be pushing my luck if I asked him to babysit again on such short notice.· Twelve months later, the captain of Sea Rover pushed his luck once too often.
to do something that involves unnecessary risk, because you are too confident that there will be no problems: · It would be tempting fate to travel without a spare wheel.· By building houses in the steep canyons, Californians are tempting fate in the form of mudslides and fires.
to stupidly take a risk, especially by doing something or getting involved in a situation that is likely to have a very unpleasant result: · The government was warned it was playing with fire by arresting so-called "separatist" leaders.· Anyone who gets involved with a married man is playing with fire.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRYverbs Years later, by a strange quirk of fate, she found herself sitting next to him on a plane. By an amazing twist of fate, we met again in Madrid five years later. The ultimate fate of the tribe was even sadder.COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADJECTIVE
· We must prevent other children from suffering the same fate.
· The beautiful old building met a sad fate when it was sold off to property developers.
· The meeting will decide the fate of the factory.· The court’s decision settled Anderson’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 someone in a bad situation)· The abandoned sailors were left to their fate on the island.
· He only discovered his sister’s fate after the war.
· I had no choice but to resign myself to my fate.
formal (=a fate will happen to someone)· A terrible fate awaited any soldier who was captured.
formal (=someone suffers a particular fate)· I wondered what fate would befall me.
adjectives· He did not intend to meet the same fate as his companion.
· The project suffered a similar fate to many of its predecessors.
(=what finally happens to someone)· The ultimate fate of the refugees is in our hands.
· The crew of the ship met a terrible fate.
· The play is about the tragic fate of two lovers.
· She suffered a cruel fate at the hands of her captors.
(=not clear, definite, or decided)· The Bill faces an uncertain fate in the Senate.
phrases (=someone will decide what happens to you)· His fate is now in the hands of the judge.
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES Years later, by a strange quirk of fate, she found herself sitting next to him on a plane. By an amazing twist of fate, we met again in Madrid five years later. The ultimate fate of the tribe was even sadder.· There had been anger as well at the cruel jest of fate that had brought her into love with her own brother.· Bamie brushed aside this cruel fate as if it were no more than a nuisance.· A cruel fate had separated them.· But Pip does little to protest this cruel fate.
· The worst of fates was to be a wallflower passed over and rejected.· The fish: They rescued Thumbelina, but sent her off to a worse fate.· A worse fate awaits even larger stars - those initially of about 10 or more times the Sun's mass.· Prometheus' brother Atlas suffered a still worse fate.· Can you imagine a worse fate than being condemned to listen to the endless trivia that surround most criminal prosecutions?· A worse fate has befallen the general interest, mass circulation magazines, once the dominant national media.· It would not be long before Paris was turning to them for fear of an even worse fate.
· Perhaps it is the sad fate of the so-called underdeveloped world to make the same mistakes as the developed world.· The hearth, which stands for the sanctity of the home, is an apt object to confess her sad fate to.· The sad fate of the St Lawrence belugas epitomises the problems faced by small cetaceans on an increasingly polluted planet.
· The letter has suffered a similar fate.· Other men assigned the task suffered similar fates.· East forced two short corners which proved fruitless and likewise Antrim had a similar fate.· This or a similar fate awaits the organization that stubbornly refuses to acknowledge the reality of its circumstances.· He was compared with Aristides the Just, and there were those who wished a similar fate for him.· Perhaps, like the lead coffin of Osiris, which suffered a similar fate, it is the real secret of alchemy.· There are many other groups which suffer a similar fate to women.· All you need is love - the requiem for John Lennon, prophet of peace who met a similar fate.
· By a strange quirk of fate, Best ultimately joined Hibernian, the team Marinello graced as a teenager.
· This had serious implications for the ultimate fate of massive stars.· The ultimate fate of most of this collision debris is to collide again with the satellite from which it was originally ejected.· The ultimate fate of the Mohawks is even sadder.· Its ultimate fate is unknown, although the speed suggests that it was traveling too slowly to escape from Earth.· Still, their ultimate fate is revealing.
VERB· Joseph only had the word of Mary; and upon that word he had to place his trust and accept his fate.· The vast majority of the populace accepted its fate as willed by the gods and interpreted by the priestly hierarchy.· For a time Chelsea appeared to accept their fate.· But he refused to accept such a fate.· But I've accepted it as fate that people are building me up to knock me down.· He accepted our fate like a stoic and refused to make a fuss.· Thinking about it later I accept that fate intervened.
· Even so, one naughty specimen, avoiding the fate of its fellows, buzzed around McAllister's head.· Perhaps Zeus consulted his father in order to avoid the fate of his grandfather and to retain his kingdom.· I always pity the average and fat ones, congratulating myself on having avoided such a flabby fate.· You can avoid this fate by paying more attention to managing trial and repurchase than awareness.· Objective number one, then, in Nizan's mind after 1916 was to avoid the terrible fate of his father.
· Silhouetted against the setting sun and peering anxiously upward, they looked as if they were awaiting their fate on Watership Down.· He squatted impassively, as if stoically awaiting a fate he could not avoid.· In one corner of the kitchens the lobsters were awaiting their fate.· His mind touched briefly on the two defaulters who were awaiting their fate in the basement cells.· The 28,000 people it employed in its shops and distribution system await their fate.
· His luck was in, at least for the moment, but he had already decided not to tempt fate again.· And it seemed right that she should be the one to decide my fate.· Now, it seems, they will decide the fate of his government.· As in most fields, a group of senior people decides the professional fate of everyone, Strominger said.· The next few days could decide the fate of thousands of hard-pressed workers, home owners and firms.· They said public comment will help decide the fate of Fanita Ranch, which covers one-quarter of the city.· It would hand over its property to its constituent republican bodies to decide their fate independently.· An egm to decide the company's fate will be held on Thursday.
· Tenure was challenged - and probably quite rightly - but so was the universities' freedom to determine their own fate.· Whether the stadium logs another round of lease-backed debt will go far in determining the fate of other major capital-improvement projects here.· Although his proposal of plural worlds was considered heretical, it is difficult to believe it was that which determined his fate.· Obviously, that will determine the fate of the Gramm campaign.· It is easy to say that genes condition our nature rather than determining our fate, but it is not very satisfying.· It is independent and at least somewhat free to determine its own fate.
· We probably escape those first fates rather more than the rabbit.· There are various Pelagias who are known as penitent harlots or virgin martyrs who died to escape a fate worse than death.· Harassed by the nomad Scythians, whom he could not catch, he narrowly escaped the fate of Cyrus.· It has not escaped the fate of having to get rid of the father.· Few managed to escape, and the fate of the rest may be imagined.
· They left the fate and wondered for a moment about returning to Ring's.· Apollo had left him to his fate.· No, we will leave such things to fate.· I mercilessly left his fate in her hands; it was like leaving a goldfish in the care of an alley cat.· Not making a decision leaves fate responsible for what happens.· But Perot is not one to leave his political fate to chance.· D' you think that the Government in Calcutta is prepared to leave us to our fate?· We dropped anchor there, and the fishermen disappeared back into harbour, leaving us to our fate.
· All you need is love - the requiem for John Lennon, prophet of peace who met a similar fate.· Michael Sawyer did not meet that fate.· Two I have burned and there may be - indeed there are - others which should immediately meet the same fate.· The car where Uday met his fate?· Efforts to turn him into the new Olivier met a similar fate.· Three times they rallied and renewed the assault, only to meet the same fate.· Only on Everhope had the heathen met the fate they deserved.· The egg meets a less solicitous fate in the other two paintings.
· I resigned myself to my fate.· Santa Anna then resigned himself to his fate.· He was resigned to his own fate.· Tyndale was always aware of and resigned to his likely fate.
· But it was exasperated Tory backbenchers who sealed his fate.· Luciano Villoslada remembers that humid spring day that his sister Luz sealed her fate by deciding to become a revolutionary.· Martin Jajo equalised and within five minutes Jacobson sealed Darlington's fate.· But the poor man suffered from a heart condition, and 50 stings were enough to seal his fate.· Time Out had effectively sealed It's fate.· He had cheated the boss, sealed his own fate.· Twenty days of tightly timetabled designer runway shows have sealed the forward fate of fashion.
· He almost wished he'd shared the fate of his friends.· They long for transcendence, but their individual anguish is alleviated by the knowledge that they share their fate.· It is one of the shining accomplishments of modernity that individuals have learned to share their fates with people very unlike themselves.· It's hardly likely that the people in charge would want to share the fate of this unfortunate planet.· She wished to share his fate.· She had no desire to share Linda's fate.· In part, he has shared the fate of other great men who die young.
· Sister Duffy becomes a patient and suffers agonies over the fate of her love-child, little Peter.· Unhappily, the history taught to our children has suffered the same fate as their mathematics or their grammar.· Women too suffered the same fate unless granted the privilege of the sword.· Hume could scarcely suffer the fate of Andrew Lang, and be hailed as a new defender of the faith.· Not a few black leaders have suffered this fate.· Other men assigned the task suffered similar fates.· Herculaneum, the twin city to Pompeii, suffered a similar fate but has proved more difficult to excavate.· In fact, blues was only suffering the same fate that, surprisingly, would soon befall soul.
· His luck was in, at least for the moment, but he had already decided not to tempt fate again.· With a major typhoon hovering over the horizon, it would have been tempting fate unnecessarily.· It was tempting fate to run the new car in public-but McLaren had thought of that.· They had apparently felt as if a burden had been lifted from them and why tempt fate by attempting to get her back?· Robbie longed to ask, but didn't dare tempt fate.
PHRASES FROM THE ENTRYPHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES► instrument of fate/God► be master of your own fate/destiny
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 knew that Grandma's visit would be a fate worse than death.
- After all, she didn't know him, and a fate worse than death might just be awaiting her.
- It certainly wasn't because he was trying to save her from a Fate Worse than Death.
- There are various Pelagias who are known as penitent harlots or virgin martyrs who died to escape a fate worse than death.
- We've even growled at the horse, and threatened it with a fate worse than death, but to no avail!
- And because he thought he could cheat death.
- Explain how you cheated death at every stage of the journey.
- Our attempts to cheat life have progressed to an attempt to cheat death.
- Some of them are cheating death.
- Rogerson's fate was sealed when he got behind the wheel of his car, completely drunk.
- By building houses in the steep canyons, Californians are tempting fate in the form of mudslides and fires.
- Fire officials said developers are tempting fate by building deep into the scenic canyons.
- It would be tempting fate to travel without a spare wheel.
- His luck was in, at least for the moment, but he had already decided not to tempt fate again.
- It was tempting fate to run the new car in public-but McLaren had thought of that.
- Robbie longed to ask, but didn't dare tempt fate.
- They had apparently felt as if a burden had been lifted from them and why tempt fate by attempting to get her back?
- With a major typhoon hovering over the horizon, it would have been tempting fate unnecessarily.
I wouldn’t wish such a fate on my worst enemy.fate of No one knows what the fate of the hostages will be.► see thesaurus at future2[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.3a 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)COLLOCATIONSverbssuffer 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 somebody’s/something’s fate· The meeting will decide the fate of the factory.· The court’s decision settled Anderson’s fate.seal somebody’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 somebody’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.adjectivesthe 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.somebody’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.phrasesyour fate is in somebody’s hands (=someone will decide what happens to you)· His fate is now in the hands of the judge.