deciding

[dih-sahy-ding]

adjective

1. that settles a question or dispute or leads to a final decision; determining; decisive.

   the deciding vote; The weather will be the deciding factor as to whether we have the picnic or not.

Other Word Forms

• decidingly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of deciding¹

First recorded in 1650–60; decide + -ing ²

Example Sentences

After Giulia's murder, her father describes taking "a very intense look into what was happening around me" then deciding to create a foundation in her name devoted to preventing others suffering as his family have.

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He studied mining engineering at Witwatersrand University in Johannesburg before deciding to switch to medicine, at Guy's Hospital in London.

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But the next few days before Black Friday are critical in deciding whether equities are really back on the shopping list.

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Researchers at the University of Cincinnati discovered that monk parakeets meeting unfamiliar birds tend to "test the waters" before deciding whether a potential partner is safe to approach.

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The crowd chanted Cobolli's name as he kept his composure to serve out his comeback victory to love, having forced the breakthrough in the 11th game of a tense deciding set.

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Related Words

• conclusive 
• decisive