decide
Americanverb (used with object)
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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.
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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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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.
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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
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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decidesimple
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decidessimple
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have decidedperfect
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has decidedperfect
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am decidingprogressive
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are decidingprogressive
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is decidingprogressive
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have been decidingperfect progressive
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has been decidingperfect progressive
Past
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decidedsimple
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had decidedperfect
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was decidingprogressive
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were decidingprogressive
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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)
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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.
See Examples For:
ANL had asked for more than £9.9 million as an interim payment ahead of future hearings to decide its legal costs in depth.
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026
Why did you decide to do that and how did this shift the experience for you as a performer?
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026
“It’s up to the private equity-backed companies to decide whether to use Ode—based on the cost and best fit for the project,” Zemmel said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
Dott's lawyer, Euan Dow, said emotions in such cases were natural, and urged jurors to not to decide the verdicts on "hunches" or "suspicions".
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026
So I decide to be honest with her.
From "Code Name Kingfisher" by Liz Kessler
Now the runner-up is interested in buying the Dodgers if Walter decides to sell the team.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 22, 2026
If one child or grandchild decides to go to college, the trust can provide for that.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 21, 2026
Ms. Ocasio-Cortez refers to the “Overton window,” which decides when outré ideas may be discussed.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 18, 2026
Instead once a year he takes them to a livestock auction where buyers place bids and the hammer decides.
From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2026
“He decides he doesn’t want an MBA, which I could have told everyone since he was three years old.”
From "A Heart in a Body in the World" by Deb Caletti
"I've decided to not take a formal role," he said.
From BBC ● Aug. 22, 2026
I noted her use of the word “was” but decided not to say anything.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026
The host does not have to be decided this year.
From Barron's ● Aug. 21, 2026
Regulation of these contracts should not be a legal coin flip decided by which courthouse a company gets sued in.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 21, 2026
That was, until the Afterlife decided it was done with that Usher.
From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman
Soon-Shiong considered buying the Angels in 2022, in the window between owner Arte Moreno announcing he would explore selling the team and deciding the following year that he would not sell.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026
United targeted the Cameroon international this week after deciding to strengthen their midfield further following the earlier arrivals of Andrey Santos from Chelsea and Youri Tielemans from Aston Villa.
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026
Nestlé is looking for signals across markets, not deciding what one particular shopper should eat at 2 a.m.
From Salon ● Aug. 20, 2026
Instead, he’s deciding between Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders—two quarterbacks who might not start for any other team in the NFL.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026
She was deciding that she would go herself and have a secret talk with Matilda's mother and father as soon as possible.
From "Matilda" by Roald Dahl
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.
