decision
Americannoun
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decisions
plural
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the act or process of deciding; determination, as of a question or doubt, by making a judgment.
They must make a decision between these two contestants.
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the act of or need for making up one's mind.
This is a difficult decision.
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something that is decided; resolution.
She made a poor decision when she dropped out of school.
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a judgment, as one formally pronounced by a court.
It is the decision of this court that the appeal is granted.
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the quality of being decided; firmness.
He spoke with decision and calm authority.
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the final score in any sport or contest.
The decision was 5 to 4 in favor of the home team.
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Boxing. the awarding of a victory in a match not decided by a knockout or technical knockout, usually through a vote of the referee and judges.
verb (used with object)
noun
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a judgment, conclusion, or resolution reached or given; verdict
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the act of making up one's mind
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firmness of purpose or character; determination
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of decision
First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English decisioun, from Middle French, from Latin dēcīsiōn-, stem of dēcīsiō “a cutting off,” equivalent to dēcīs(us) (past participle of dēcīdere “to cut off”; see decide) + -iō -ion
Explanation
To make a decision is to make up your mind about something. To act with decision is to proceed with determination, which might be a natural character trait. Decision originally comes from the Latin decidere ("determine"). You make decisions every day: what to wear, what to eat, how to spend your money, who to vote for, what movie to go to. A court judge makes a decision in a trial (and actually "hands down" or "announces" that decision). If judges make the decision in a boxing match, the winner wins "by decision." More loosely, decision can also refer to the outcome of any game or contest.
Vocabulary lists containing decision
"Principles of Business," Vocabulary from Chapter 1
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Florida's B.E.S.T. Common Suffixes: -ion, -tion, -ation
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President Obama's second inaugural address
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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.
See Examples For:
It said the decision to cut jobs was to help "simplify" the organisation as well as "improve efficiency and build greater resilience".
From BBC ● Sep. 5, 2026
As the tone moves toward horror, though, the decision to make the host the story quickly stops paying dividends.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 5, 2026
Fox’s decision to cut Bartiromo loose sends the same signal from a different direction.
From Salon ● Sep. 5, 2026
That point is now approaching fast, forcing a strategic decision on Tehran.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 5, 2026
Then she smiled, and so did he, and all nervousness left her, for it seemed a decision of sorts had been made between them.
From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood
A patient version of the guidelines has also been developed to help people better understand their condition and participate more confidently in shared decisions with their healthcare providers.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 6, 2026
Whether or not that stereotype still holds true, investors who have tried trading with agents say one of the best parts of letting it run is taking the emotion out of investment decisions.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 6, 2026
Joseph Cavatoni, senior market strategist at the World Gold Council, told the BBC while wars and trade tensions were "playing into some of these decisions", it didn't "top the list" of motivating factors.
From BBC ● Sep. 5, 2026
"I don't think a technology company should be making decisions like that," he says.
From BBC ● Sep. 5, 2026
She was selfish and always made the wrong decisions.
From "Ophie's Ghosts" by Justina Ireland
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.
