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:
The sweeping decision comes more than 20 years after Newsom emerged in the national consciousness when, as mayor of San Francisco, he defied federal law and allowed same-sex marriages in the City by the Bay.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 7, 2026
Others are then also asking why it has taken so long to come to this landmark decision, given that transfusions that do not use whole blood have been the norm for decades.
From BBC ● Nov. 7, 2026
Taking no action would have been the safe bet, Newsom said in an interview about his decision a day after he made the announcement.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 7, 2026
This data comes after the Bank of England raised interest rates by 25 basis points to 4.0% in a recent decision and warned that at least one more increase was likely.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026
“Cannot go make one big decision off that, but,” Tūtū says.
From "Clairboyance" by Kristiana Kahakauwila
Nathan Hochman said until the law is changed, his office “will continue to evaluate every death penalty-eligible case with the rigor, care and restraint these decisions demand.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 7, 2026
Now, decisions on whether to accept such treatments are to be left to individuals.
From BBC ● Nov. 7, 2026
Bharbi Hazarika spoke with Jason about why political bias can influence investment decisions and how to separate meaningful policy changes from political noise.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026
And Beth Pinsker followed up with these instructions on how the new tax brackets can affect decisions on Roth IRA conversions in 2027.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 6, 2026
I wondered if they’d come to any decisions.
From "Willodeen" by Katherine Applegate
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
