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:
According to RFU performance director Conor O'Shea, extending Borthwick's deal into the middle of 2028 will allow time to decide who leads the team in the longer-term.
From BBC ● Sep. 9, 2026
But whatever view the chief justice had about the prudence of Ohio’s pressing forward, he was steadfast in his belief that the court’s task was to decide the issues parties presented.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 9, 2026
It helps cells decide when to grow based on the amount of food and energy available.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 9, 2026
Every year I decide again that the arrangement is worth it, that my belonging is mine to grant and not the NFL’s to approve.
From Salon ● Sep. 9, 2026
Ray shows us pictures of cakes, but I still can’t decide, so Boo steps in.
From "The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman" by Gennifer Choldenko
I will see them at the funeral or the parade, whichever the game decides to hand out that day.
From Salon ● Sep. 9, 2026
Until he decides, keeping Kushner and Witkoff on the case is a waste of jet fuel and time.
From Slate ● Sep. 8, 2026
The Royal and VIP Executive Committee - known as Ravec - decides security for royals and public figures and Prince Harry has previously complained about a lack of adequate police protection in the UK.
From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2026
WSJ: Who decides how the water should be managed?
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 7, 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
The significance was the day it was decided: Sept. 12, 2001.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 9, 2026
I decided, at about six years old, that this game was mine, and no one has ever managed to talk me out of it.
From Salon ● Sep. 9, 2026
An artificial intelligence researcher who left OpenAI to join Anthropic has decided to leave the industry, accusing both US companies of "playing with our lives" in the race to develop AI models capable of self-improvement.
From Barron's ● Sep. 9, 2026
Even so, she has already decided where some of her things should go.
From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2026
Now looking around me I decided that our homemade outfits were as stylish as any there.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
As it turned out, Heumann was deciding that very day who should direct a movie of her life.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026
You wouldn’t go into business with someone without thinking about the economic terms of this arrangement, deciding the division of certain expenses and labor, and how you’re going to share profits, she explained.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 8, 2026
Each way of remembering draws a boundary around the terrorism the nation experienced, deciding how far beyond that September morning its meaning should extend.
From Salon ● Sep. 8, 2026
Gurney beat Greaves in a deciding set in their first-round match at the PDC World Championship in December and he moved into a 3-1 lead in Prague.
From BBC ● Sep. 4, 2026
I stood there a second longer before deciding that he’d probably find me anyway, so I ran after him.
From "Glitch" by Laura Martin
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.
