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:
At the heart of the protests across the country, that is the question being asked: Do we get to decide the future that AI unleashes?
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 15, 2026
If lawmakers were to eliminate the cap, they’d have to decide how to treat Social Security benefits.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 14, 2026
Nine of the 10 sections in the state leave it up to schools to decide regular-season broadcasts.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026
Napoli must decide on the future of Italy striker Lorenzo Lucca, 25, before opening talks with Arsenal over signing Brazil striker Gabriel Jesus, 29.
From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026
The sailors were fixing to gather down below to decide what to do.
From "The Seven Wonders of Sassafras Springs" by Betty G. Birney
“I feel great about our football team as it currently stands,” McVay said, “and I know he’ll add value if he decides to come.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026
They complete their pre-season programme against Amorim's new club AC Milan in Wroclaw on 15 August, when Rashford could make his first United appearance since December 2024 if Carrick decides Wednesday is too soon.
From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2026
Whatever the Supreme Court decides after the states’ deadline next week, the underlying tension is worth sitting with.
From Slate ● Jul. 30, 2026
Whatever the Fed decides, it might not say much about what comes next.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026
Father Monaghan decides to make a trip to Novaliches without Joey.
From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly
Chen and Fan decided it would be better if Hengli made PTA itself—which meant building its own major refinery.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026
Fatima eventually decided to study law, but if she had chosen a course the year previously she'd likely have opted for biochemistry or pharmacy.
From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026
AbuSalim, Rabinowitz and their colleagues decided to test that assumption.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 15, 2026
Instead, we’ve somehow arrived at a version where Gen Z has collectively decided drinking isn’t fun anymore, bars are empty because nobody under 30 leaves the house and nightlife itself is quietly dying.
From Salon ● Aug. 15, 2026
I had decided that the best thing was never to bring up the subject, even though Jeff was the only other kid I had ever talked to about very much at all.
From "Firegirl" by Tony Abbott
Paramount executives and others have decried the delay in deciding whether the deal moves forward.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026
"Once again the Met is deciding who matters. Both those women's lives were important to their families."
From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026
The EBU said it could commission an independent security assessment before deciding whether a winning country is capable of hosting the event safely.
From Barron's ● Aug. 12, 2026
In a sign of Rezaei’s new power, Khamenei also appointed him as his personal representative on the Supreme National Security Council, the body tasked with deciding the most important military and diplomatic matters.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026
The part that gets me angry isn’t that my mom’s deciding all on her own whether we’re going or not.
From "King and the Dragonflies" by Kacen Callender
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.
