decision
Americannoun
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the act or process of deciding; deciding; determination, as of a question or doubt, by making a judgment.
They must make a decision between these two contestants.
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the act of or need for making up one's mind.
This is a difficult decision.
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something that is decided; decided; resolution.
She made a poor decision when she dropped out of school.
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a judgment, as one formally pronounced by a court.
It is the decision of this court that the appeal is granted.
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the quality of being decided; firmness.
He spoke with decision and calm authority.
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the final score in any sport or contest.
The decision was 5 to 4 in favor of the home team.
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Boxing. the awarding of a victory in a match not decided by a knockout or technical knockout, usually through a vote of the referee and judges.
verb (used with object)
noun
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a judgment, conclusion, or resolution reached or given; verdict
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the act of making up one's mind
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firmness of purpose or character; determination
Other Word Forms
- decisional adjective
- nondecision noun
- predecision noun
- redecision noun
- subdecision noun
Etymology
Origin of decision
First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English decisioun, from Middle French, from Latin dēcīsiōn-, stem of dēcīsiō “a cutting off,” equivalent to dēcīs(us) (past participle of dēcīdere “to cut off”; decide ) + -iō -ion
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.
“Our investigation revealed that Davis was heavily involved in the decision making process surrounding the allocations of these funds from the very beginning”
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 2, 2026
The changes include a decision to stop charging metals tariffs on items that do not contain significant quantities of the metals.
From BBC • Apr. 2, 2026
Although it was a state trial court decision, Brown’s case had been intensely covered by the national press, and it was no doubt the most consequential trial in U.S. history until that time.
From Slate • Apr. 2, 2026
The decision is now on appeal to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 2026
“Since he didn’t say, I’d guess he’d prefer to keep it private. I’ll respect that decision for now, if you don’t mind.”
From "The Interrupted Tale" by Maryrose Wood
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.
