doom
Americannoun
-
fate or destiny, especially adverse fate; unavoidable ill fortune.
In exile and poverty, he met his doom.
-
to fall to one's doom.
-
a judgment, decision, or sentence, especially an unfavorable one.
The judge pronounced the defendant's doom.
- Synonyms:
- fate, ruination, downfall, destruction
-
the Last Judgment, at the end of the world.
-
Obsolete. a statute, enactment, or legal judgment.
verb (used with object)
-
to destine, especially to an adverse fate.
- Synonyms:
- predestine, foreordain
-
to pronounce judgment against; condemn.
-
to ordain or fix as a sentence or fate.
noun
-
death or a terrible fate
-
a judgment or decision
-
(sometimes capital) another term for the Last Judgment
verb
Synonym Usage
See fate.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
has doomedperfect 3rd person singular
-
have doomedperfect
-
doomingparticiple
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doomssingular 3rd person
-
has been doomingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
-
have been doomingperfect progressive
-
are doomingprogressive
-
is doomingprogressive 3rd person singular
-
am doomingprogressive 1st person singular
Past
-
had doomedperfect
-
had been doomingperfect progressive
-
doomedparticiple
-
was doomingprogressive singular
-
were doomingprogressive plural
-
doomedsimple
Future
Etymology
Origin of doom
First recorded before 900; Middle English dome, dōm, Old English dōm “judgment, law”; cognate with Old Norse dōmr, “judgment, sentence, court,” Gothic dōms “sentence, fame,” all from Germanic dômaz “what has been set,” from dôn “to set, place, do 1 ( def. ) ”; compare Greek thémis “law” (i.e., “what has been set, laid down”); see deem
Explanation
Doom is death, destruction, the end of the world, the big goodbye. It can also be a verb — if a man twirling a mustache ties you to the railroad tracks, he dooms you to certain death! Doctor Doom is a comic book villain you do not want to mess with. He’s the doctor of death! If you feel that the world is terrible, you’re all doom and gloom. If someone dies, she meets her doom. People usually talk about doom as a type of fate — doom isn't an accident. When doom is a verb, watch out — being slack dooms careers and lies doom relationships. Stay away from all forms of doom.
Vocabulary lists containing doom
"Sonnet 55" by William Shakespeare
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Similes from Top AP English Exam Novels
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"The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet," Vocabulary from Act 3
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
From concerns that the rise of artificial intelligence would doom traditional software technology, a decisive sentiment shift is under way.
From Barron's • Jun. 2, 2026
As athletic director at USC, Cohen understands the reasons for their doom and gloom.
From Los Angeles Times • May 31, 2026
They ignored the numbers and filled their dispatches with adjectives indicating a doom that, hilariously, the study didn’t support.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 29, 2026
"I think some of some of the discussion I've seen has veered between outright snobbery and just downright unpleasant, a bit of kill joy attitude, you know, there's enough doom and gloom in the world."
From BBC • May 20, 2026
This is her anxiety talking, and the post-tragedy sense of doom.
From "A Heart in a Body in the World" by Deb Caletti
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
