fate
gb/fˈeɪt/ us/fˈeɪt/
B1
Inglês
~ 7900
Aceções
0 aceções
Nome
B1
entity
1
the inevitable future of someone
What will happen to someone or something in the future, especially when it is seen as something that cannot be changed.
Padrão de uso:
[someone]'s fate; the fate of [someone/something]
Erro comum:
Learners sometimes confuse "fate" with "faith" because they sound similar. "Fate" is about what will happen in the future; "faith" is about strong belief, especially in religion. Learners also sometimes use "fate" to mean a simple choice (e.g., *I will fate to go there*), but in English we say "I will choose" or "I will decide", not "fate".
Sinónimos
destiny (Very close in meaning; often used when the future feels planned or meaningful rather than just fixed.)
|
lot (More informal and old-fashioned; suggests the situation life has given someone rather than a full future path.)
Antónimos
free will (Stresses the idea that people can choose their future instead of having it fixed in advance.)
|
choice (Focuses on the ability to actively decide what happens, the opposite of a fixed fate.)
Colocações
someone's fate
|the fate of
|decide someone's fate
|accept your fate
|unknown fate
|control your fate
Temas
life_events
|philosophy
|emotions
|core_vocabulary
Exemplos
- Some people believe that your fate is written before you are born.
- He felt his fate lay in the city, not in the small village where he grew up.
- The court's decision would determine the fate of thousands of workers.
- No one knew what fate awaited the refugees crossing the border.
- She refused to accept that poverty was her fate.
Exemplos para aprendentes
- He thinks it is his fate to be a singer.
- The exam will decide the fate of many students.
- We do not know what fate waits for us in the future.
- She wants to change her fate and move to another country.
- They worry about the fate of the old building.
unknown
B2
entity
2
final, often bad, outcome
The final end of someone or something, usually something bad, such as death, failure, or loss.
Padrão de uso:
the fate of [someone/something]; suffer a [adjective] fate
Erro comum:
Learners sometimes use "fate" for any simple result (e.g., *The fate of the game was 2–1*). In English, we normally use "result", "score", or "outcome" for neutral results, and use "fate" when the end is serious, emotional, or final, especially for people, groups, or important things.
Sinónimos
doom (Stronger and more dramatic; almost always negative and often used for death or total failure.)
|
end (A more general, neutral word; it does not automatically suggest something tragic or fixed.)
Antónimos
survival (Opposite when the fate in question is death or destruction.)
|
salvation (Opposite when the fate would have been ruin or loss, but someone is saved from it.)
Colocações
share the same fate
|suffer a terrible fate
|escape this fate
|meet his/her fate
|a cruel fate
|decide their fate
Temas
life_events
|news_media
|emotions
|core_vocabulary
Exemplos
- Many feared that the village would suffer the same fate as the town that was destroyed by the flood.
- The book tells the tragic fate of a family separated by war.
- Thanks to quick action by firefighters, the old church did not meet the fate of so many other historic buildings.
- The judge's ruling sealed his fate and he was sent to prison for life.
- Scientists are trying to change the fate of endangered species.
Exemplos para aprendentes
- The plane crashed, and we still do not know the fate of the pilot.
- The dog was sick, but a vet changed its fate.
- He lost his job, but that was not the end of his fate.
- The film shows the sad fate of the main character.
- They tried hard to escape this fate.
Nome
B1
entity
3
power that controls events
A special power that some people believe decides what will happen in life, which people cannot change.
Padrão de uso:
believe in fate; trust in fate; fate brings [something]
Erro comum:
Learners sometimes say *believe fate* instead of "believe in fate". In English you almost always need the preposition: "believe in fate".
Sinónimos
providence (More formal and religious; suggests a caring, guiding plan rather than a blind force.)
|
fortune (Can suggest luck or chance more than a strict plan; slightly lighter in tone.)
Antónimos
chance (Opposes the idea that a special power plans events; suggests things just happen randomly.)
|
self-determination (Emphasizes that people control their own lives instead of being controlled by a force like fate.)
Colocações
believe in fate
|trust in fate
|fate brought us together
|leave it to fate
|the hand of fate
|ruled by fate
Temas
philosophy
|religion
|emotions
|core_vocabulary
Exemplos
- She doesn't believe in fate; she thinks we make our own lives.
- He said it was fate that they met on the same train three times in one week.
- The novel explores whether love is guided by fate or by personal choice.
- They decided to leave the rest to fate and stop worrying.
- To him, losing the job felt like fate pushing him in a new direction.
Exemplos para aprendentes
- Some people think fate controls everything.
- He believes it was fate that they got married.
- She says, "If it is fate, it will happen."
- They stopped planning and left it to fate.
- I am not sure if I believe in fate.
Nome
literary
C1
entity
4
the Fates, mythological goddesses
In old Greek and Roman stories, three special women gods called the Fates who decide when and how people live and die.
Padrão de uso:
the Fates; the Fates [verb]
Sinónimos
Moirai (The Greek name for the same three goddesses; used mainly in academic or mythological contexts.)
Antónimos
the Muses (Not a direct logical opposite, but another group of mythological female figures associated with inspiration rather than control over life and death.)
Colocações
the Fates decide
|the Fates decree
|the Fates have spoken
|the thread of fate
|spinner of fate
|cut the thread of fate
Temas
literature
|mythology
|religion
|arts_entertainment
Exemplos
- In the story, the hero tries to escape the judgment of the Fates.
- Ancient poets described the Fates as women who spun and cut the thread of life.
- The playwright uses the Fates as characters to comment on human choices.
- Statues of the Fates once stood at the entrance to the temple.
- The Fates in Greek myth embody the idea that death cannot be avoided.
Exemplos para aprendentes
- In this myth, the Fates decide how long people live.
- The Fates are three women in old Greek stories.
- The book explains what the Fates do in the legends.
- Some poems show the Fates cutting the thread of life.
- The Fates are important in Greek mythology.
Verbo
literary
C2
action
5
to determine someone's destiny
To decide what will happen to someone or something, in a way that seems impossible to change.
Padrão de uso:
to fate [someone/something] to [do/be something]
Erro comum:
This verb is rare and mainly literary; most modern English uses the adjective-like form "be fated to" or the verb "be destined to" instead of the active verb "to fate". Learners may sound unnatural if they try to use "fate" as an active verb in everyday speech.
Sinónimos
destine (Very close in meaning; slightly more common as a verb and often used in passive form ("was destined to").)
|
doom (Stronger and darker; usually suggests a bad or tragic end.)
Antónimos
free (In this context, to remove someone from a fixed or expected end, giving them choice or escape.)
Colocações
fated to die young
|fated never to meet
|fated to fail
|fated to be together
|seemed fated from birth
|was fated to happen
Temas
literature
|philosophy
|core_vocabulary
Exemplos
- The prophecy seemed to fate him to a life of exile.
- In the legend, the gods fate the child to become a great warrior.
- Her birth into poverty did not fate her to failure.
- History did not fate these two nations to be enemies forever.
- The author suggests that love does not fate us; we choose it.
Exemplos para aprendentes
- The story says a magic power fated the boy to be king.
- Many people thought his past fated him to be a criminal.
- The writer asks if poor children are fated to stay poor.
- In the movie, the hero is fated to save the world.
- They do not believe we are fated to follow one path.
Gramática
Forma de dicionário
fate
IPA
GB/fˈeɪt/
US/fˈeɪt/
Sílabas e acento
fate (1 sílaba)
Stress on 1st syllable (fate)
Formas da palavra
Noun
- Base: fate
- Plural: fate, fates
Verb
- Base: fate
- 3rd Person Singular: fates
- Present Participle: fating
- Past: fated
Família de palavras
Expressões
a twist of fate
1/ə twˈɪst əv fˈeɪt/
fixed phrase
unexpected change in events
An unexpected event that changes what happens in someone's life, often in a surprising or strange way.
Exemplos
- By a strange twist of fate, they met again years later in another country.
- A twist of fate turned his small idea into a huge business.
- The film begins with a twist of fate that brings the two main characters together.
as fate would have it
1/ˈæz fˈeɪt wˈʊd hˈæv ˈɪt/
idiom
it happened in a fated way
Used to say that something happened in a way that seems like it was planned by fate, not by people, often surprising or lucky.
Exemplos
- As fate would have it, they ended up sitting next to each other on the plane.
- As fate would have it, the rain stopped just before the outdoor concert began.
- As fate would have it, she got the last ticket to the show.
be fated to
1/bˈi fˈeɪtɪd tə/
fixed phrase
literary
having a fixed, destined outcome
Used to say that something is sure to happen to someone and cannot be changed.
Exemplos
- The lovers seem fated to be together despite all the problems.
- In the story, the city is fated to fall.
- He felt he was fated to repeat his father's life.
it was fate
1/ˈɪt wəz fˈeɪt/
fixed phrase
informal
say something was meant to happen
Used to say that something happened because it was meant to happen and could not have been avoided.
Exemplos
- When they bought the same rare book, they both said, "It was fate."
- He likes to say it was fate that he got that job.
- She lost her flight but met her future husband at the airport; she says it was fate.
leave it to fate
1/lˈiv ˈɪt tə fˈeɪt/
fixed phrase
let events decide the result
To stop trying to plan or control something and allow whatever happens to happen.
Exemplos
- They could not agree on a date, so they left it to fate and said they would meet if they ever crossed paths again.
- I'm not going to push this relationship; I'm just going to leave it to fate.
- When they lost their map, they decided to leave it to fate and walk in any direction.
meet your fate
1/mˈit jˈʊɹ fˈeɪt/
idiom
literary
face your final, fixed end
To face the final result of your life or actions, often something serious like death or punishment.
Exemplos
- The hero returns to the city to meet his fate.
- He walked into the courtroom ready to meet his fate.
- In the last scene, the villain finally meets his fate.
seal someone's fate
1/sˈil sˈʌmwˌʌnz fˈeɪt/
idiom
make a final outcome certain
To cause a final result for someone, usually something bad, so that it cannot be changed.
Exemplos
- The mistake in the last minute of the game sealed their fate.
- His angry words to the boss sealed his fate and he was fired the next day.
- The court's decision sealed her fate as a political exile.
the hand of fate
1/ðə hˈænd əv fˈeɪt/
idiom
literary
fate seen as guiding force
A way of talking about fate as if it were a person or power that controls what happens.
Exemplos
- He liked to blame the hand of fate for his problems instead of his own choices.
- She felt the hand of fate guiding her toward that small town.
- The novelist often writes about the hand of fate changing ordinary lives.
tempt fate
1/tˈɛmpt fˈeɪt/
idiom
take a foolish or needless risk
To do something risky or careless that might cause bad luck or trouble, especially when you do not need to take that risk.
Exemplos
- We’ve had no delays so far, so let’s not tempt fate by changing the schedule now.
- He refused to drive in the snow again, saying he didn't want to tempt fate twice in one night.
- He knew he was tempting fate by driving home after drinking.
- Leaving your bag open on a busy train is just tempting fate.
- Announcing victory before the final result would be tempting fate.
- They were already late, so stopping for coffee felt like tempting fate.
a fate worse than death
1/ə fˈeɪt wˈɚs ðən dˈɛθ/
idiom
literary
extremely bad imagined situation
A very bad situation that someone feels would be even worse than dying.
Exemplos
- For him, living without music would be a fate worse than death.
- For some prisoners, life in total isolation is a fate worse than death.
- She thought working for her ex-boss again would be a fate worse than death.
- He joked that going back to that job would be a fate worse than death.
- To her, losing her independence would be a fate worse than death.
a fate worse than death
2/ə fˈeɪt wˈɚs ðən dˈɛθ/
idiom
Something imagined to be worse than dying
A situation so bad that someone thinks dying would be better.
Exemplos
- For him, losing his freedom was a fate worse than death.
- She said working there would be a fate worse than death.