decree
Americannoun
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decrees
plural
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a formal and authoritative order, especially one having the force of law.
a presidential decree.
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Law. a judicial decision or order.
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Theology. one of the eternal purposes of God, by which events are foreordained.
verb (used with or without object)
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decrees,
present (3rd person singular)
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decreed,
past participle, past
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decreeing
present participle
noun
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an edict, law, etc, made by someone in authority
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an order or judgment of a court made after hearing a suit, esp in matrimonial proceedings See decree nisi decree absolute
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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decreernoun
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predecreeverb (used with object)
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decreeableadjective
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undecreedadjective
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well-decreedadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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decreesimple
-
decreessimple
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have decreedperfect
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has decreedperfect
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am decreeingprogressive
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are decreeingprogressive
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is decreeingprogressive
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have been decreeingperfect progressive
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has been decreeingperfect progressive
Past
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decreedsimple
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had decreedperfect
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was decreeingprogressive
-
were decreeingprogressive
-
had been decreeingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of decree
1275–1325; (noun) Middle English decre < Anglo-French decre, decret < Latin dēcrētum, noun use of neuter of dēcrētus, past participle of dēcernere; see decern; (v.) Middle English decreen, derivative of the noun
Explanation
Look carefully! A decree isn't something you get when you graduate. That one little letter change makes it something else altogether: a legally binding command or the announcement of such a thing. If you go back far enough, a decree referred to a decision handed down by the Roman emperor. In more modern usage, a divorce decree is the document issued by a court that terminates a marriage. And if you want to go out with someone on a date, but things keep preventing you from having the chance to ask, you could say that fate did not decree it to be so.
Vocabulary lists containing decree
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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 decree goes into force on Sept. 15.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026
A lengthy decree lifted restrictions on a swath of sectors including petrol distribution, electricity generation, rubbish collection and the manufacture and sale of medicines.
From Barron's ● Jul. 29, 2026
But experts say existing protections would collapse without the legal architecture of the consent decree to support them.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
Set against a slithering, seductive Chicago house beat, it’s really more of a command, one that the Queen of Pop immediately follows with another decree: “Come on, meet me on the dance floor.”
From Salon ● Jul. 8, 2026
With this parting decree, Judge Willmore dismissed the court.
From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel
During his nearly 60-day period abroad so far, he has signed several other decrees, including some authorising his government to sign loan agreements with international financial institutions.
From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026
"Prefects will issue decrees banning alcohol consumption in public spaces in the departments under red alert," the government said in a statement following a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu.
From Barron's ● Jun. 20, 2026
A serious accounting of departments like those in Minneapolis and Louisville, Ky., whose decrees Ms. Dhillon has dismissed, would conclude the opposite.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 5, 2026
Many “return to office” mandates and expectations started as decrees from C-suite executives, after the pandemic broadened the appeal of working from home.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 1, 2026
These categories imply that we find Everest to be covered in snow; we make today Thursday; and the bank decrees that this is legal tender.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
For decades, China's Communist Party decreed that couples could have only one child.
From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026
The outgoing president decreed a 24% minimum wage hike this January, more than even unions were demanding.
From Barron's ● Jun. 22, 2026
Tina Peters deserved to go to jail but not for nine years, a panel of judges decreed, ordering her resentencing.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 24, 2026
"Any person or entity that challenges the public order decreed by the transitional authorities will be severely reprimanded, in compliance with the law," the statement said.
From Barron's ● Jan. 9, 2026
Joffrey had decreed that he was to be a knight no longer, only a fool, lower even than Moon Boy.
From "A Clash of Kings" by George R.R. Martin
It is roughly analogous to a disgruntled DMV employee refusing to process your driver’s license renewal paperwork, and also unilaterally decreeing that you were never allowed to operate a motor vehicle in the first place.
From Slate ● Nov. 21, 2023
One resident, Gulnaz Gilmanova, wrote that she was ashamed of the village administration for decreeing that he be buried without military honors.
From New York Times ● Mar. 26, 2023
Any papal document would likely take the form of an Apostolic Constitution decreeing changes in Church law.
From Reuters ● Aug. 22, 2022
He even puts up a poster decreeing “No eating people” in his apartment, which vexes Venom mightily.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 30, 2021
The facts about Everest were established, and this involved a triple process of finding, making and decreeing.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
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.
