decide
Americanverb (used with object)
-
decides,
present (3rd person singular)
-
decided,
past participle, past
-
deciding
present participle
-
to solve or conclude (a question, controversy, or struggle) by giving victory to one side.
The judge decided the case in favor of the plaintiff.
-
to determine or settle (something in dispute or doubt).
to decide an argument.
-
to bring (a person) to a decision; persuade or convince.
The new evidence decided him.
verb (used without object)
-
decides,
present (3rd person singular)
-
decided,
past participle, past
-
deciding
present participle
-
to settle something in dispute or doubt.
The judge decided in favor of the plaintiff.
-
to make a judgment or determine a preference; come to a conclusion.
verb
-
(may take a clause or an infinitive as object; when intr, sometimes foll by on or about) to reach a decision
decide what you want
he decided to go
-
(tr) to cause (a person) to reach a decision
the weather decided me against going
-
(tr) to determine or settle (a contest or question)
he decided his future plans
-
(tr) to influence decisively the outcome of (a contest or question)
Borg's stamina decided the match
-
(intr; foll by for or against) to pronounce a formal verdict
Usage
What are other ways to say decide?
To decide is to settle something in dispute or doubt. How is it different from resolve and determine? Find out on Thesaurus.com.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
decidesimple
-
decidessimple
-
have decidedperfect
-
has decidedperfect
-
am decidingprogressive
-
are decidingprogressive
-
is decidingprogressive
-
have been decidingperfect progressive
-
has been decidingperfect progressive
Past
-
decidedsimple
-
had decidedperfect
-
was decidingprogressive
-
were decidingprogressive
-
had been decidingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of decide
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English deciden, from Middle French decider, from Latin dēcīdere, literally, “to cut off,” equivalent to dē- de- + -cīdere (combining form of caedere “to strike, cut down”; see -cide ( def. ))
Explanation
To decide is to make up your mind to do (or not do) something. People decide hundreds of things a day, from what to eat to what TV shows to watch. Deciding involves making decisions — choosing what to do. There are a lot of things in life to decide, such as where to live, what school to go to, where to apply for a job, and what kind of clothes to buy and wear. At any restaurant, there are hundreds of options: you have to decide which is right for you. You can also say that if a touchdown ended a game, it decided the game.
Vocabulary lists containing decide
TEKS ELAR Academic Vocabulary List (5th-7th grades)
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
5th Grade Government Vocabulary, List 1
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
"Zlateh the Goat"
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Policymakers have to decide whether the forecast comes from the policy committee or is done by the staff, and to what degree the forecast is based on judgment versus models.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026
Researchers must carefully decide which objects to study, how frequently to observe them, and when they are most likely to reveal something important.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 16, 2026
How did you and the writers decide what would be the line for Kate?
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026
It is understood the World Bank Group sometimes retains outside law firms, and that those firms decide which of their lawyers are assigned to which parts of any work.
From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2026
I decide it’s best for Denny not to know where we’re staying.
From "The Bletchley Riddle" by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin
"Whatever a broadcast partner decides to do, they have their reasons for it," he said.
From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026
All eyes are on the release of consumer price data due later Wednesday, which could play a key role in whether the bank decides to hike for a second successive meeting on October 28.
From Barron's ● Oct. 14, 2026
"It's a way to document evidence in case a woman decides to sue her harasser, or at least it is a means to shame him."
From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026
Moore plays Mona, a meek, thoroughly unseen wife and mother who impulsively decides to audition for a community theater musical despite having no experience.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 12, 2026
Marco decides against asking her to try, returning to the subject of the circus instead.
From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern
Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of North Carolina decided not to enter a districtwide administrative order.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
To work around these limitations, the scientists decided to begin at an earlier stage of immune cell development.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 16, 2026
After the Covid-19 pandemic, actor Ben Foster decided to chase a slower life in Nashville.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026
These were regular people who saw what was going on in the world and decided that they needed to do something about it.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 15, 2026
She eventually decided on a filagree headdress she would wear atop a turban —and a long strand of hand-carved carnelian beads, not necessarily for the costume.
From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu
As the next generation of astronomical surveys identifies growing numbers of tidal disruption events, researchers will face an increasingly difficult challenge in deciding which ones deserve closer attention.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 16, 2026
The former reality star candidly spoke about how “she needed to go somewhere” she could put herself first, eventually deciding to split her time between California and Tennessee, residing in a rental property in Nashville.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026
Earlier this month, Fed Vice Chair Philip Jefferson said officials may need more time before deciding whether to raise rates again.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2026
All-rounder Stokes was restored to the team for the deciding third Test, during which he made a stunning announcement to retire from international cricket at the conclusion of the match.
From BBC ● Oct. 12, 2026
Most galling to me was when she turned down an opportunity to go to an Ivy League business school after college, deciding that it would be too much work and therefore no fun.
From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
