fate implies an inevitable and usually an adverse outcome.
the fate of the submarine is unknown
destiny implies something foreordained and often suggests a great or noble course or end.
the country's destiny to be a model of liberty to the world
lot and portion imply a distribution by fate or destiny, lot suggesting blind chance
it was her lot to die childless
, portion implying the apportioning of good and evil.
remorse was his daily portion
doom distinctly implies a grim or calamitous fate.
if the rebellion fails, his doom is certain
Example Sentences
Noun A portion of the donations will be given to the orphanage. Portions of land were used for farming. A considerable portion of the city was flooded. The restaurant gives large portions. She divided the pie into six equal portions. Verb The work was portioned to each member of the staff. portioned out the medical supplies equallySee More
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
The aircraft mechanics represent a relatively small portion of the company’s workforce of more than 500,000. Kelly Yamanouchi, ajc, 17 Sep. 2022 The food eaten on both diets was identical, but portion sizes were adjusted to provide the correct calorie serving size for the meal. Chloe Taylor, Fortune, 16 Sep. 2022 Emergency vehicles swarmed the area, and a portion of the private university’s West Campus was blocked off by police. Matt Yan And, BostonGlobe.com, 14 Sep. 2022 Meal variety and portion sizes were also highly rated.Good Housekeeping, 9 Sep. 2022 The airports authority, Fairfax and Loudoun counties are paying for a portion of the project’s costs, but the bulk of the funding comes from Dulles Toll Road users. Justin George, Washington Post, 8 Sep. 2022 This tiny portion of the band’s FBI file was released to the public a little over a decade ago, and now Micky Dolenz, the group’s sole surviving member, has filed a lawsuit against the FBI (See the full suit below). Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 30 Aug. 2022 Housing projects are the largest portion of the city’s latest $102.5 million in American Rescue Plan Act dollars announced Monday at a Cleveland City Council Caucus meeting. Lucas Daprile, cleveland, 29 Aug. 2022 For now, the companies are focused on their Houston project, where crews have begun clearing land on a portion of a 160-acre tract west of the community’s junior and senior high school. Alex Demarban, Anchorage Daily News, 17 Aug. 2022
Verb
Pro tip: pre-portion this creamy potato salad into small Dixie cups to make backyard eating a breeze. Felicia Campbell, The Arizona Republic, 1 July 2022 Using a 1 3/4-inch (No. 40) cookie scoop or 2 tablespoons, portion the dough and roll into balls. Carol Deptolla, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 26 Jan. 2022 The results are hearty, easy to portion and extremely versatile. Tribune News Service, cleveland, 26 Oct. 2021 Sometimes that’s the best, or only way, to portion out a large slab pie or pizza.Washington Post, 27 Sep. 2021 Use a spoon to portion some half-moons of perfectly ripe avocado on top. Shilpa Uskokovic, Bon Appétit, 8 Sep. 2021 Workers portion them out precisely, measuring the stiff salmon into boxes, then boating them to other communities in the region. Zachariah Hughes, Anchorage Daily News, 6 Sep. 2021 If your gluttonous best friend plows through food too fast, a slow-feed option can portion out the meal over 15 minutes. Sal Vaglica, WSJ, 21 July 2021 At the table, portion out soufflé into individual bowls. Odette Williams, WSJ, 18 June 2021 See More
Word History
Etymology
Noun
Middle English porcioun, from Anglo-French, from Latin portion-, portio; akin to Latin part-, pars part