fate

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♦ fate /f'eɪt/ (fates)
1 [N-UNCOUNT] also N in pl
Fate is a power that some people believe controls and decides everything that happens, in a way that cannot be prevented or changed. You can also refer to the fates.
I see no use quarrelling with fate.
...the fickleness of fate...
It was just one of those times when you wonder whether the fates conspire against you.
2 [N-COUNT] oft with poss
A person's or thing's fate is what happens to them.
The Russian Parliament will hold a special session later this month to decide his fate...
He seems for a moment to be again holding the fate of the country in his hands...
The Casino, where she had often danced, had suffered a similar fate.
= destiny
3 [PHRASE] V inflects
If something seals a person's or thing's fate, it makes it certain that they will fail or that something unpleasant will happen to them.
The call for a boycott could be enough to seal the fate of next week's general election...
4
to tempt fate: see tempt

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