decide
Americanverb (used with object)
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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.
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to determine or settle (something in dispute or doubt).
to decide an argument.
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to bring (a person) to a decision; persuade or convince.
The new evidence decided him.
verb (used without object)
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to settle something in dispute or doubt.
The judge decided in favor of the plaintiff.
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to make a judgment or determine a preference; come to a conclusion.
verb
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(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
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(tr) to cause (a person) to reach a decision
the weather decided me against going
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(tr) to determine or settle (a contest or question)
he decided his future plans
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(tr) to influence decisively the outcome of (a contest or question)
Borg's stamina decided the match
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(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
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)
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5th Grade Government Vocabulary, List 1
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"Zlateh the Goat"
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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.
"Decide, decide, decide, decide / Do I? Do I? Do I? Do I?" he screams, his voice spinning around your headphones like intrusive thoughts.
From BBC • Apr. 21, 2026
Decide which items you think you’ll take with you when you move because you love them, they’ll fit in your new, likely smaller, home and you can afford the cost of moving them.
From MarketWatch • Dec. 30, 2025
Appeared in the December 9, 2025, print edition as 'Let Warner’s Shareholders Decide'.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 8, 2025
Decide for yourself as you watch a master not so much try to outdo an oldie, but earn a modestly rousing encore.
From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 23, 2024
“It means we should think for ourselves. Decide if something is wrong just because someone says it’s so, or decide it’s right because that’s how we feel.”
From "Hurricane Child" by Kheryn Callender
Definitions 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.
