decision
Americannoun
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decisions
plural
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the act or process of 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; 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
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
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”; see decide) + -iō -ion
Explanation
To make a decision is to make up your mind about something. To act with decision is to proceed with determination, which might be a natural character trait. Decision originally comes from the Latin decidere ("determine"). You make decisions every day: what to wear, what to eat, how to spend your money, who to vote for, what movie to go to. A court judge makes a decision in a trial (and actually "hands down" or "announces" that decision). If judges make the decision in a boxing match, the winner wins "by decision." More loosely, decision can also refer to the outcome of any game or contest.
Vocabulary lists containing decision
"Principles of Business," Vocabulary from Chapter 1
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Florida's B.E.S.T. Common Suffixes: -ion, -tion, -ation
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President Obama's second inaugural address
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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:
Researchers used artificial intelligence to determine which combination of biomarkers provided the most useful diagnostic information and then incorporated those markers into a clinical decision tool.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 2, 2026
"We had to respect his decision," Scuro added.
From BBC ● Sep. 2, 2026
Shen and Leung credited their decision to build financial assets, rather than home equity, with giving them the financial independence to retire early, and live off their portfolio as digital nomads around the world.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 2, 2026
The Canadian dollar versus the U.S. dollar strengthened following the central bank’s decision.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026
“Now, this is all speculation and educated guesses, but it is safe to say that Colonel Chamberlain, from his one decision to charge instead of retreat, changed the course of history.”
From "Glitch" by Laura Martin
BRQ: My mom, Donna McKenna, allowed us to make decisions for ourselves.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 2, 2026
But Volkswagen is subject to a special “Volkswagen law” that raises the threshold to 80% for the most important decisions, potentially giving the state of Lower Saxony a blocking minority.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026
Why would he be emotionally connected to one more than the other, or consciously allow emotions to rule his management decisions?
From BBC ● Sep. 1, 2026
Dry cleaners could also be owners or managers who may be using AI for business decisions, he added.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 1, 2026
This explains two of his earliest and most controversial decisions.
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
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.
