decree

American  

[dih-kree] / dɪˈkri /

noun

1. a formal and authoritative order, especially one having the force of law.

   a presidential decree.

2. Law. a judicial decision or order.

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

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verb (used with or without object)

decreed, decreeing

1. to command, ordain, or decide by decree.

decree British  

/ dɪˈkriː /

noun

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

2. an order or judgment of a court made after hearing a suit, esp in matrimonial proceedings See decree nisi decree absolute

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verb

1. to order, adjudge, or ordain by decree

Other Word Forms

• decreeable adjective
• decreer noun
• predecree verb (used with object)
• undecreed adjective
• well-decreed adjective

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; 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.

Example Sentences

The general call is rescinded… I await your decree.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 12, 2026

But the UK government has now revealed the updated marmalade decree is among 76 updated EU food-related laws that will apply in England, Wales and Scotland too if its wider food deal is agreed.

From BBC • Apr. 2, 2026

The companies denied all the allegations and agreed to the settlement to resolve the litigation, according to the consent decree.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 27, 2026

The department had been rocked by corruption scandals, one after the next, and operating under a Justice Department consent decree for over a decade.

From Slate • Mar. 25, 2026

The streets had become so congested that the city issued an emergency decree to suspend the trolley service until after the parade because there was no room for the passengers to disembark downtown.

From "Votes for Women!" by Winifred Conkling

Related Words

• act
• announcement
• directive
• edict
• injunction
• instruction
• judgment
• law
• order
• proclamation
• regulation
• rule
• ruling
• statute