decision tree

American  

noun

Logic.

1. a tree diagram in which the selection of each branch requires that some type of logical decision be made.

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decision tree British  

noun

1. a treelike diagram illustrating the choices available to a decision maker, each possible decision and its estimated outcome being shown as a separate branch of the tree

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Other Word Forms

• decision-tree
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of decision tree

First recorded in 1965–70

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

decision tree

In a game where the decision tree expands frighteningly fast, both man and machine are only beginning to explore the full extent of a game that has been around for centuries.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 2026

It includes a decision tree that asks school officials to interview the student and other witnesses.

From Washington Post ● Dec. 9, 2021

When he was diagnosed in his senior year in college, he drafted a decision tree of the possible tests, complications, outcomes and medications.

From Scientific American ● Sep. 20, 2021

“As the decision tree in baseball has changed over time, this helps all of us better understand why it needed to change,” Mozeliak wrote in an email.

From New York Times ● Feb. 24, 2021

For each combination of risk factors, Goldman drew up a decision tree that recommended a treatment option.

From "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell