decision-making

American

[dih-sizh-uhn-mey-king] / dɪˈsɪʒ ənˌmeɪ kɪŋ /

Or decision making or decisionmaking

noun

the act or process of making choices or decisions with a group of people, especially in business or politics (often used attributively).

decision-making skills.

Other Word Forms

decision-maker noun

Etymology

Origin of decision-making

First recorded in 1915–20

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.

Elevated to party chief after his predecessor's death in 2024, he has scrapped whole layers of government and abolished ministries and agencies in a bid to speed up official decision-making.

From Barron's • Apr. 8, 2026

It is unclear how involved Netanyahu was in Trump's decision-making.

From BBC • Apr. 7, 2026

Today’s investment culture is shaped by a 24-hour news cycle and technology that enables instant decision-making.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 7, 2026

Allan didn’t want to sell because he felt the timing was poor and believed he was being frozen out of the decision-making process.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 5, 2026

Unless the pace of decision-making accelerated, he knew, the fair would fall irreparably behind schedule, yet if anything the barriers to efficiency were increasing in size and number.

From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023