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deciding

[dih-sahy-ding]
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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.
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Origin of deciding

First recorded in 1650–60; decide + -ing2
Related formsde·cid·ing·ly, adverb

decide

[dih-sahyd]
verb (used with object), de·cid·ed, de·cid·ing.
  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), de·cid·ed, de·cid·ing.
  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.
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Origin of decide

1350–1400; Middle English deciden < Middle French decider < Latin dēcīdere literally, to cut off, equivalent to dē- de- + -cīdere (combining form of caedere to cut)
Related formsde·cid·er, nounpre·de·cide, verb (used with object), pre·de·cid·ed, pre·de·cid·ing.re·de·cide, verb, re·de·cid·ed, re·de·cid·ing.

Synonym study

1. Decide, resolve, determine imply settling upon a purpose and being able to adhere to it. To decide is to make up one's mind as to what shall be done and the way to do it: He decided to go today. To resolve is to show firmness of purpose: He resolved to ask for a promotion. To determine is to make up one's mind and then to stick to a fixed or settled purpose: determined to maintain his position at all costs.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words

decisiveconclusiveprimechiefnecessarykeyprincipalcriticalcrucialimportantinfluentialsignificant

Examples from the Web for deciding

Contemporary Examples

Historical Examples

  • We are aided by all who desire self-government and a voice in deciding their own affairs.

  • She was deciding, as instantly as Linda had done, that she liked this man.

    Her Father's Daughter

    Gene Stratton-Porter

  • Here was a man, she was deciding, who for his age was the physical superior of any she had ever met.

    Dust

    Mr. and Mrs. Haldeman-Julius

  • I came to you, my sweet, the moment I saw the doubt, and the necessity of deciding.

    Little Dorrit

    Charles Dickens

  • So he let it go, deciding to make what corrections might be necessary afterwards.

    His Masterpiece

    Emile Zola

British Dictionary definitions for deciding

decide

verb
  1. (may take a clause or an infinitive as object; when intr, sometimes foll by on or about) to reach a decisiondecide what you want; he decided to go
  2. (tr) to cause (a person) to reach a decisionthe 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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Word Origin

C14: from Old French decider, from Latin dēcīdere, literally: to cut off, from caedere to cut
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for deciding

decide

v.

late 14c., "to settle a dispute," from Old French decider, from Latin decidere "to decide, determine," literally "to cut off," from de- "off" (see de-) + caedere "to cut" (see -cide). For Latin vowel change, see acquisition. Sense is of resolving difficulties "at a stroke." Meaning "to make up one's mind" is attested from 1830. Related: Decided; deciding.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper