designate

verb

ˈde-zig-ˌnāt How to pronounce designate (audio)
Definition of designatenext
1
as in to choose
to decide upon (the time or date for an event) usually from a position of authority the designated time for the meeting

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
2
as in to appoint
to pick (someone) by one's authority for a specific position or duty he has yet to designate his successor as head of the firm

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to name
to give a name to he was designated "Air Jordan" by his fans

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 designate Both can serve the purpose of protection, and in modern times, Lecouteux explains the term talisman has come to designate any magical object. — Nicole Kliest, Vogue, 16 Oct. 2026 Society designated registries for a handful of monumental life events—weddings, housewarmings and baby showers. — Arthur Zaczkiewicz, Footwear News, 15 Oct. 2026 Paramount must also establish a $25 million Independent Film Fund ($5 million per year for five years) specifically designated to acquire and fund indie films. — Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 15 Oct. 2026 Donors already make gifts that fund schools’ financial aid packages, with about $7 billion in gifts designated for this purpose in 2025. — William Blomquist, Fortune, 15 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for designate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for designate
  1. choose
  2. appoint
  3. name
  4. set
  5. nominate
  6. call
  7. select
  8. assign
Verb
  • Price optimization means choosing prices that advance business goals, such as increasing profits, attracting shoppers or clearing unsold goods.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 19 Oct. 2026
  • How to choose the right butternut squash Squash should have a uniform beige color and the surface should be matte, not glossy.
    — Candy Hom, AJC.com, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of choose
Verb
  • Santoyo, 72, was appointed by the state to the board of managers in 2016.
    — Sophia Veneziano, San Antonio Express-News, 16 Oct. 2026
  • These decisions were informed by the Council on Ethics, an independent body appointed by Norway's Ministry of Finance.
    — Chloe Taylor, CNBC, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of appoint
Verb
  • Opening her case, Karmy-Jones walked through the allegations from the six women, who have a lifelong right to anonymity even though they are being named in court.
    — Jake Kanter, Deadline, 14 Oct. 2026
  • The bill in consideration was originally named Ryder’s Law after a 14-year-old carriage horse who collapsed in 2022 and was later euthanized due to cancer.
    — Claire Carter, The Washington Examiner, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of name
Verb
  • The decision to set that tone staggering through all 10 minutes of the extended cut might scan as raw inspiration, placing Spacemen 3 on a narrow band from La Monte Young and Terry Riley to some brilliant dro)))ne future.
    — Gabriel Szatan, Pitchfork, 18 Oct. 2026
  • Anthropic wants Congress to set strict limits on when federal authorities can stop advanced AI models from reaching users.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of set
Verb
  • His films have gone to Cannes multiple times, and he has been nominated for an International Emmy.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 16 Oct. 2026
  • For Boyd, being nominated is an opportunity to join some of the biggest names in South Florida high school football.
    — CBS Miami Team, CBS News, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of nominate
Verb
  • Perhaps this is why fashion mogul Nigo calls his latest venture Human Made.
    — Matt Alt, Fortune, 18 Oct. 2026
  • The Associated Press called and emailed city and Police Department officials but did not immediately receive responses.
    — Sophie Bates, Los Angeles Times, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of call
Verb
  • Visitors select individual petals, shape them using a thermoforming machine and assemble their own accessory.
    — Ryma Chikhoune, Footwear News, 16 Oct. 2026
  • More plausibly, CPUs, GPUs, AI accelerators, HPC and quantum resources will coexist, selected driven by workload economics and suitability.
    — Rajjie Sarmey, Forbes.com, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of select
Verb
  • The airman was assigned to the 6th Combat Training Squadron, Detachment 2, out of Nellis Air Force Base.
    — Alejandro Avila OutKick, FOXNews.com, 18 Oct. 2026
  • All registered voters were assigned a probability of voting to produce likely voter results.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of assign

Browse Nearby Words

design
designate
designated
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Cite this Entry

“Designate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/designate. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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