decree

[ dih-kree ]

/ dɪˈkri /

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See synonyms for: decree / decreed / decrees on Thesaurus.com

noun

a formal and authoritative order, especially one having the force of law: a presidential decree.

Law. a judicial decision or order.

Theology. one of the eternal purposes of God, by which events are foreordained.

verb (used with or without object), de·creed, de·cree·ing.

to command, ordain, or decide by decree.

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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

OTHER WORDS FROM decree

pre·de·cree, verb (used with object), pre·de·creed, pre·de·cree·ing.un·de·creed, adjectivewell-de·creed, adjective

Words nearby decree

decoupling, decoy, decrease, decreasing, decreasing term insurance, decree, decree absolute, decree-law, decree nisi, decreet, decrement

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use decree in a sentence

On March 11, the Zelensky government issued a decree appointing Bensh to the board of Naftogaz.
Rick Perry’s Ukrainian Dream|by Simon Shuster, TIME, and Ilya Marritz, WNYC|September 10, 2020|ProPublica
For another thing, Grandpre notes that the consent decree has made it harder for his organization and others to demand specific state-level reforms, such as increasing funding for witness protection in Baltimore.
What Can Mayors Do When the Police Stop Doing Their Jobs?|by Alec MacGillis|September 3, 2020|ProPublica
Now, the veteran officer said, the continued decline in arrest rates and proactive-policing levels are driven more by uncertainty over what is allowed under the city’s new consent decree, even after multiple training sessions.
What Can Mayors Do When the Police Stop Doing Their Jobs?|by Alec MacGillis|September 3, 2020|ProPublica
Among the elements of the city’s consent decree was a broadened definition of “use of force,” which required reporting even an arrestee’s complaint that handcuffs had caused physical pain.
What Can Mayors Do When the Police Stop Doing Their Jobs?|by Alec MacGillis|September 3, 2020|ProPublica

What’s more, the Justice Department has imposed a decree on both agencies for decades that requires them to license songs to all comers.
Trump and ‘Hallelujah’: Why it’s so hard to stop campaigns from playing songs, even when artists object|Jeff|August 31, 2020|Fortune
Just two weeks later, the Sultan issued his decree that shariah, Islamic law, would be the new law of the land.
Brunei Returns to the Stoning Age|Jay Michaelson|April 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Justice Anthony Kennedy has more power than any president or justice in history to decree the law of the land.
Will This Man Make Gay Marriage Legal Everywhere?|Stuart Taylor, Jr.|February 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Morever, every minister must be onfirmed by presidential decree.
Ukraine’s Prime Minister Tenders Bloody Resignation|Oleg Shynkarenko|January 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
We need to challenge this top-down decree that all web connections should, by default, be child-friendly.
Britain’s Idiotic “Opt-In” Porn Ban|Brendan O’Neill|November 23, 2013|DAILY BEAST
A 2010 decree took it a step further: they will be stricken with a “crime against sacraments.”
What About Women, Pope Francis?|Janine di Giovanni|August 1, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The patriarchal decree of the government was a good deal of a joke on the plains, anyway—except when you were caught defying it!
Raw Gold|Bertrand W. Sinclair
A royal decree (December 31, 1622) orders the Dominicans in the Philippines not to meddle in affairs of government.
The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898, Volume XX, 1621-1624|Various
Do not heed the Governor-Generalʼs decree, calling you to arms, even though it cost you your lives.
The Philippine Islands|John Foreman
The Spanish authorities issued a decree regulating the price of meat and other commodities.
The Philippine Islands|John Foreman
How did the Spanish Government fulfil, on its part, the decree spontaneously issued in 1868?
The Philippine Islands|John Foreman

British Dictionary definitions for decree

decree

/ (dɪˈkriː) /

noun

an edict, law, etc, made by someone in authority

an order or judgment of a court made after hearing a suit, esp in matrimonial proceedingsSee decree nisi, decree absolute

verb decrees, decreeing or decreed

to order, adjudge, or ordain by decree

Derived forms of decree

decreeable, adjectivedecreer, noun

Word Origin for decree

C14: from Old French decre, from Latin dēcrētum ordinance, from dēcrētus decided, past participle of dēcernere to determine; see decern

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

decree

Origin of decree

OTHER WORDS FROM decree

Words nearby decree

Words related to decree

How to use decree in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for decree

Derived forms of decree

Word Origin for decree