Doom
/duːm/
nounverbB2
Definition
Doom is a strong word that means a terrible or unhappy ending that cannot be stopped. It often talks about death, failure, or disaster that is sure to happen. When used as a verb, it means to make someone or something certain to fail or suffer badly.
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⚡ See It in Action
A certain and terrible fate or end, often death or destruction
- •The ship was sailing toward doom in the storm.
- •Many feared the doom of their village after the earthquake.
- •The prophecy spoke of doom for the kingdom.
To cause to have a bad fate or to make failure certain (verb)
- •His careless actions doomed the project to fail.
- •The company was doomed by poor management.
- •They felt doomed to lose the game before it even started.
🧲 Make It Stick
- ✓Think of "doom" like "bad end," but much stronger and more serious—like something you cannot avoid
- ✓Picture a dark cloud hanging over a city, meaning trouble is coming and cannot be stopped
- ✓It's the feeling when you know something very bad will happen, and you feel worried or scared
- ✓Sounds like "doom" → imagine a loud deep drum beating slowly, warning of danger ahead
- ✓In stories, heroes sometimes face doom but try to escape it, making the story exciting
- ✓NOT like "problem" (which can be fixed), "doom" means the problem is final and very serious
- ✓NOT like "danger" (possible harm), "doom" means the harm will definitely happen
- ✓As a verb, NOT like "help" (to make better), "doom" means to make bad things happen for someone or something
🔄 Try Other Words
- •Destiny: the future that is meant to happen (Use when the future is important but not always negative)
- •Ruin: to damage or destroy something completely (Use when focusing on destruction or failure caused by actions)
- •Catastrophe: a sudden disaster or very bad event (Use when talking about sudden, large problems)
🔍 Unboxing
- •Word parts: (no clear prefix or suffix; root word "doom" stands alone)
- •Etymology: From Old English "dom," meaning judgment, law, or fate
- •Historical development: Originally meant judgment or law, later changed to mean a final, often bad, fate or punishment
- •Modern usage: Used to talk about certain bad endings or to say someone or something will fail or be destroyed
💭 Reflect & Connect
•Can you think of a time when you felt something was "doomed" to fail? What happened?
•How does the idea of "doom" affect the way people tell stories or imagine the future?
Fill in the blanks with the correct word:
1.The old castle seemed ___ to ___ after years of neglect and storms.
2.When the team lost their best player, many believed their season was ___.
3.The prophecy warned that the kingdom's ___ was certain and could not be changed.
4.She feared that her mistake would ___ the whole project ___ before it even began.
5.Unlike a simple problem, doom means the bad outcome is ___ to happen.
6.The movie showed a world ___ to ___ because of a great disaster.
7.Even though the hero faced doom, the story gave hope that ___ might change the ending.