Library / English Dictionary

DESIGNATE

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 I. (adjective) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Appointed but not yet installed in office

Classified under:

Adjectives

Similar:

incoming (arriving at a place or position)

 II. (verb) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Design or destine

Example:

She was intended to become the director

Synonyms:

designate; destine; intend; specify

Classified under:

Verbs of thinking, judging, analyzing, doubting

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

plan (make plans for something)

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

mean (destine or designate for a certain purpose)

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)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s somebody to INFINITIVE

Sense 2

Meaning:

Decree or designate beforehand

Example:

She was destined to become a great pianist

Synonyms:

designate; destine; doom; fate

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

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

ordain (issue an order)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s somebody to INFINITIVE

Sense 3

Meaning:

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

Example:

he indicated his opponents

Synonyms:

designate; indicate; point; show

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

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:

Assign a name or title to

Synonyms:

denominate; designate

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

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

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

number (give numbers to)

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 5

Meaning:

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

Synonyms:

assign; delegate; depute; designate

Classified under:

Verbs of political and social activities and events

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)

Credits

 Context examples: 

Facilities designated Cancer Centers generally conduct a combination of basic, population sciences, and clinical research, and are encouraged to stimulate collaborative research involving more than one field of study.

(Cancer Center, NCI Thesaurus)

The NCI Cancer Centers Program comprises more than 50 NCI-designated cancer centers engaged in multidisciplinary research to reduce cancer incidence, morbidity and mortality.

(National Cancer Institute Cancer Centers Program, NCI Thesaurus)

NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers conduct research and provide services directly to cancer patients.

(NCI-Designated Comprehensive Cancer Center, NCI Thesaurus)

Designates that a term or concept does not use the NCI Common Toxicity Criteria as a reference.

(Non-CTC, NCI Thesaurus)

It was designated as an NCI cancer center in 1978 and as a comprehensive cancer center in 1980.

(Norris Cotton Cancer Center, NCI Thesaurus)

It could refer to the temporal, or sequential relationship, or indicate that a test was performed to verify another test result, or designate that a test is a component of a test panel.

(Observation Result Relationship Comment, NCI Thesaurus)

The person who is designated by the Investigator to order investigational agents on his/her behalf.

(Ordering Designee, NCI Thesaurus)

The Cancer Center Planning Grant (P20) is an NCI-provided grant available to research organizations interested in developing an NCI-designated Cancer Center.

(Cancer Center Planning Grant, NCI Thesaurus)

A number designating a place in an ordered sequence.

(Ordinal Position, NCI Thesaurus)

Invasive gland forming lesions in human associated with HGPIN are designated as moderately differentiated.

(Moderately Differentiated Invasive Adenocarcinoma of the Mouse Prostate Gland, NCI Thesaurus/MMHCC)