decide

American  

[dih-sahyd] / dɪˈsaɪd /

verb (used with object)

decides, present (3rd person singular) decided, past participle, past deciding present participle

1. 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.

2. to determine or settle (something in dispute or doubt).

   to decide an argument.

3. to bring (a person) to a decision; persuade or convince.

   The new evidence decided him.

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verb (used without object)

decides, present (3rd person singular) decided, past participle, past deciding present participle

1. to settle something in dispute or doubt.

   The judge decided in favor of the plaintiff.

2. to make a judgment or determine a preference; come to a conclusion.

decide British  

/ dɪˈsaɪd /

verb

1. (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

2. (tr) to cause (a person) to reach a decision

   the weather decided me against going

3. (tr) to determine or settle (a contest or question)

   he decided his future plans

4. (tr) to influence decisively the outcome of (a contest or question)

   Borg's stamina decided the match

5. (intr; foll by for or against) to pronounce a formal verdict

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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

• decider
  noun
• redecide
  verb

Inflected Forms

Participles

• deciding
  present
• decided
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• decide
  simple
• decides
  simple
• have decided
  perfect
• has decided
  perfect
• am deciding
  progressive
• are deciding
  progressive
• is deciding
  progressive
• have been deciding
  perfect progressive
• has been deciding
  perfect progressive

Past

• decided
  simple
• had decided
  perfect
• was deciding
  progressive
• were deciding
  progressive
• had been deciding
  perfect progressive

Future

• will decide
  simple
• will have decided
  perfect
• will be deciding
  progressive
• will have been deciding
  perfect progressive

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.

Example Sentences

What makes an influencer decide to trademark a phrase that people recognize as belonging to the internet?

From Salon • Jul. 7, 2026

Open enrollment in the fall is typically when people can enroll in an FSA and decide how much to put in.

From MarketWatch • Jul. 6, 2026

Any suspension longer than 10 days would lead to a vote in Farage's Clacton seat that would see voters decide whether to trigger a by-election.

From BBC • Jul. 6, 2026

The president also took aim at FIFA’s use of slow-motion replay to decide whether Balogun’s stepping on an opponent’s ankle constituted a red-card offense.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 6, 2026

“Oh, Mamá, that’s so young! And I can’t believe you didn’t get to decide for yourself if you wanted to marry.”

From "Across So Many Seas" by Ruth Behar

Related Words

• agree
• choose
• conclude
• determine
• elect
• end
• establish
• resolve
• rule
• select
• set
• vote