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.
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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
-
(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:
But items seized in the raid continue to be held by the police, with a further hearing to take place in 2027 to decide whether the material can be used as evidence.
From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026
Researchers must carefully decide which objects to study, how frequently to observe them, and when they are most likely to reveal something important.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 16, 2026
Competition watchdog Comco said it would analyze the ruling in detail over the coming days and decide whether to accept the decision or file an appeal based on its assessment.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2026
Other economists acknowledge that the CPI data opens the door for another hike this month, but think the Fed will ultimately decide to pause until the following meeting in mid-December.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 14, 2026
She couldn’t decide if she liked it or not.
From "Wolfie & Fly" by Cary Fagan
All eyes are on the release of consumer price data due later Wednesday, which could play a key role in whether the bank decides to hike for a second successive meeting on October 28.
From Barron's ● Oct. 14, 2026
"It's a way to document evidence in case a woman decides to sue her harasser, or at least it is a means to shame him."
From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026
Bill decides to disappear into irony and jokes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026
There will be resistance - from viewers, from politicians, from campaign groups - as the BBC decides to move away from old formats and old technology.
From BBC ● Oct. 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
The Chicago Sky, the team that had drafted her out of LSU, decided it had seen enough of her.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
To work around these limitations, the scientists decided to begin at an earlier stage of immune cell development.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 16, 2026
After the Covid-19 pandemic, actor Ben Foster decided to chase a slower life in Nashville.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026
These were regular people who saw what was going on in the world and decided that they needed to do something about it.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 15, 2026
Whatever it was, he decided to go along with it, to keep her attention away from Wolf.
From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver
As the next generation of astronomical surveys identifies growing numbers of tidal disruption events, researchers will face an increasingly difficult challenge in deciding which ones deserve closer attention.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 16, 2026
The former reality star candidly spoke about how “she needed to go somewhere” she could put herself first, eventually deciding to split her time between California and Tennessee, residing in a rental property in Nashville.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026
Standardising roles - deciding who stood where, who needed to be heard at what moment and where equipment was stationed - allowed for a faster, more efficient response.
From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2026
"The burden of escalation would rest squarely upon the aggressor; they and they alone would bear the full moral, political, and strategic weight of deciding whether to do so," he said.
From Barron's ● Oct. 12, 2026
Noor had grumbled at the idea of sharing a bedroom with him, so he’d happily given it up, deciding it was better to sleep on the floor in the living room.
From "Shooting Kabul" by N. H. Senzai
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