designate
- 01 C1 Advanced
v.to officially choose someone for a specific job or position.
v.to officially appoint or select someone for a specific role or duty.
Simple“The committee will designate a new leader at the meeting tomorrow.”
In context“The board of directors moved to designate a temporary successor while the search for a permanent chief executive continued.”
UsageOften used in the passive voice: 'He was designated as the team leader.'
- 02 C1 Advanced
v.to mark or describe something so people know what it is for.
v.to specify or set something apart for a particular purpose or use.
Simple“This area is designated as a non-smoking zone.”
In context“The city council voted to designate the old warehouse as a protected historical landmark to prevent its demolition.”
UsageCommonly followed by 'as' or 'for'.
- 03 C2 Proficiency
adj.used after a job title to show someone has been chosen but has not started the work yet.
adj.denoting a person who has been appointed to a post but has not yet taken office.
Simple“The director designate will take over the department next month.”
In context“As the bishop designate, he spent the weeks before his consecration meeting with local community leaders.”
UsageThis is a postpositive adjective, meaning it always follows the noun it describes.
Teacher's tipThis usage is highly formal and most common in British English institutional contexts, such as 'Prime Minister designate'.
“Photograph: Bruna Prado/AP In recent months Trump has turned up the heat on Brazil, designating its two biggest organised crime groups, the Red Command and the PCC, as terrorist organisations.”
“Many schools allow families to specify whom to contact first or designate different contacts for different situations.”
Borrowed from Latin dēsignātus, perfect passive participle of designō, see -ate (adjective-forming suffix) and -ate (verb-forming suffix). Doublet of design.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.