DESIGNATE

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does designate mean? 

• DESIGNATE (adjective)
  The adjective DESIGNATE has 1 sense:

1. appointed but not yet installed in office

  Familiarity information: DESIGNATE used as an adjective is very rare.

• DESIGNATE (verb)
  The verb DESIGNATE has 5 senses:

1. assign a name or title to

2. give an assignment to (a person) to a post, or assign a task to (a person)

3. indicate a place, direction, person, or thing; either spatially or figuratively

4. decree or designate beforehand

5. design or destine

  Familiarity information: DESIGNATE used as a verb is common.

 Dictionary entry details 

• DESIGNATE (adjective)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Appointed but not yet installed in office

Similar:

incoming (arriving at a place or position)

• DESIGNATE (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they designate    ... he / she / it designates   
Past simple: designated   
Past participle: designated   
-ing form: designating   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Assign a name or title to

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Synonyms:

denominate; designate

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "designate"):

number (give numbers to)

label (assign a label to; designate with a label)

denote (be a sign or indication of)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody
Something ----s something

Derivation:

designation (the act of designating or identifying something)

designation (identifying word or words by which someone or something is called and classified or distinguished from others)

designative (serving to designate)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Give an assignment to (a person) to a post, or assign a task to (a person)

Classified under:

Verbs of political and social activities and events

Synonyms:

assign; delegate; depute; designate

Hypernyms (to "designate" is one way to...):

appoint; charge (assign a duty, responsibility or obligation to)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "designate"):

place (assign to (a job or a home))

break; bump; demote; kick downstairs; relegate (assign to a lower position; reduce in rank)

advance; elevate; kick upstairs; promote; raise; upgrade (give a promotion to or assign to a higher position)

mandate (assign under a mandate)

delegate; depute (transfer power to someone)

reassign; transfer (transfer somebody to a different position or location of work)

regiment (assign to a regiment)

place (place somebody in a particular situation or location)

task (assign a task to)

devolve (pass on or delegate to another)

cast (assign the roles of (a movie or a play) to actors)

post (assign to a post; put into a post)

cast (select to play,sing, or dance a part in a play, movie, musical, opera, or ballet)

mandate (assign authority to)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s somebody something
Somebody ----s something to somebody
Somebody ----s somebody PP

Sentence example:

They designate him to write the letter

Derivation:

designation (the act of putting a person into a non-elective position)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Indicate a place, direction, person, or thing; either spatially or figuratively

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Synonyms:

designate; indicate; point; show

Context example:

he indicated his opponents

Hypernyms (to "designate" is one way to...):

inform (impart knowledge of some fact, state of affairs, or event to)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "designate"):

point (indicate the presence of (game) by standing and pointing with the muzzle)

finger (indicate the fingering for the playing of musical scores for keyboard instruments)

call attention; point out; signalise; signalize (point out carefully and clearly)

reflect (manifest or bring back)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody something
Somebody ----s something to somebody
Somebody ----s that CLAUSE

Sense 4

Meaning:

Decree or designate beforehand

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Synonyms:

designate; destine; doom; fate

Context example:

She was destined to become a great pianist

Hypernyms (to "designate" is one way to...):

ordain (issue an order)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s somebody to INFINITIVE

Sense 5

Meaning:

Design or destine

Classified under:

Verbs of thinking, judging, analyzing, doubting

Synonyms:

designate; destine; intend; specify

Context example:

She was intended to become the director

Hypernyms (to "designate" is one way to...):

plan (make plans for something)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "designate"):

design (plan something for a specific role or purpose or effect)

slate (designate or schedule)

aim; calculate; direct (specifically design a product, event, or activity for a certain public)

mean (destine or designate for a certain purpose)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s somebody to INFINITIVE

 Context examples 

It was founded as a division of the University of Arizona's College of Medicine in 1976, became an NCI-designated cancer center in 1978, and received Comprehensive Cancer Center status in 1990.

(Arizona Cancer Center, NCI Thesaurus)

The other group is designated Sephardic Jews and includes those whose ancestors lived in North Africa, the Middle East, and Spain.

(Ashkenazi Jew, NCI Dictionary)

Almost all of the National Cancer Institute-designated centers are members and the remaining member institutions are academic-based cancer programs that receive NCI support.

(Association of American Cancer Institutes, NCI Thesaurus)

The orientation of the patient relative to the image plane designated in the anatomical direction of the column axis.

(Patient Orientation Column, NCI Thesaurus)

Diana Rivers had designated her brother "inexorable as death."

(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)

TA-MUC1 is designated to MUC1 epitopes with O-glycosylated carbohydrate-induced conformational structures that are tumor-specific, thereby enabling PankoMab to differentiate between tumor MUC1 and non-tumor MUC1 epitopes.

(Anti-TA-MUC1 Monoclonal Antibody PankoMab, NCI Thesaurus)

The patient orientation relative to the image plane, specified by a value that designates the anatomical direction of the positive row axis (left to right).

(Patient Orientation Row, NCI Thesaurus/DICOM)

A group of closely related toxic metabolites that are designated mycotoxins.

(Aflatoxin, NLM, Medical Subject Headings)

The orientation of the patient relative to the image plane designated in the anatomical direction of the row axis.

(Patient Orientation Row, NCI Thesaurus)

It was designated as an NCI cancer center in 1975.

(NYU Cancer Institute, NCI Thesaurus)