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.

---

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

---

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• decision-tree
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of decision tree

First recorded in 1965–70

Example Sentences

Many companies have handed the task of answering phones to an automated decision tree, bringing in the human operator only to troubleshoot.

From New York Times • Jun. 10, 2023

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

Bari hopes a reliable decision tree will help guide healthcare workers in countries such as his native Morocco, where hospitals are expected to be overwhelmed in the pandemic.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 7, 2020

But at the end of his scientific articles, there was always a plaintive sentence about how much more hands-on, real-world research needed to be done before the decision tree could be used in clinical practice.

From "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell