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condemn to

B2 formal inseparable transitive
In simple words

To force someone to suffer a punishment or an unpleasant situation, either officially or by circumstance.

Meanings

1 B2 formal

To officially sentence someone to a punishment by legal authority.

"The court condemned him to fifteen years in prison for his crimes."

Grammar: inseparable
2 B2 idiomatic neutral

To cause someone to suffer or experience an unpleasant situation or fate, often through circumstances beyond their control.

"Growing up in poverty condemned many of them to a cycle of debt from which they could not escape."

"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it."

— George Santayana, 'The Life of Reason', 1905
Grammar: inseparable
Usage notes

Used both in legal contexts (a judge condemns someone to prison) and figuratively (poverty condemned them to a life of hardship). The figurative use is very common in journalism and literature. Often carries a strong sense of injustice.

Commonly used with

death life poverty exile failure obscurity

Forms

Base
condemn to
I/you/we/they
3rd person
condemns to
he/she/it
Past simple
condemned to
yesterday
Past participle
condemned to
have + pp
-ing form
condemning to
continuous

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