English Reference

Word

determining

Phoneticsde·ter·min·ing

US/dɪˈtɝmənɪŋ/

UK/dɪtˈɜːmɪnɪŋ/

Definitions

01deciding or establishing

B2

v. the act of deciding something officially or finding out the exact facts.

v. the process of establishing something exactly by calculation, research, or authoritative decision.

“Determining the cause of the accident took the investigators several weeks.”

“Determining the precise sequence of events required a meticulous review of the surveillance footage and multiple witness statements.”

Usage

Often used as a gerund to describe a process of investigation.

02causing a result

C1

adj. being the most important reason why something happens or how it ends.

adj. functioning as a decisive or causal factor in a situation or outcome.

“The cost of the project was the determining factor in our final choice.”

“Market volatility proved to be the determining influence on the board's decision to postpone the initial public offering.”

Academic

Usage

Usually placed before the noun it modifies.

Real-World Examples

“The departure of Maxence Lacroix has left Palace’s defence without a natural leader and replacing the France defender with a similar character could go a long way to determining how they fare.”
The Guardian · 13 Aug 2026
“Yet determining exactly when many of these images were created has remained extremely difficult.”
ScienceDaily · 28 Jul 2026
“Determining when these changes appeared will require comparisons with brown tree snakes from their native range.”
ScienceDaily · 26 Jul 2026
“Even so, determining when humans first began using fire has remained one of archaeology's most difficult questions.”
ScienceDaily · 24 Jun 2026

Collocations

determining factor

This entry

Level
B2 · Upper Intermediate
Frequency
Frequent
Updated

Scan code

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English Reference