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
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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
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were decreeingprogressive
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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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Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" Speech (1963)
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Animal Farm
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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
It outlines a clear process: an investigation, a court case, an appeal, a Supreme Court ruling and then a royal decree.
From BBC ● Jul. 31, 2026
Experts have cast doubt on the legal feasibility of the emergency decree, which is already in force but requires parliamentary approval to remain law.
From Barron's ● Jul. 30, 2026
Safadi was referring to the 2021 defense agreement that allows U.S. forces unfettered access to 12 facilities in Jordan, including five air bases; the agreement was approved via royal decree and bypassed parliament.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
Not only did the mill grind our wheat and barley—at a cost—it contained the ovens where we villagers, by the steward’s decree, baked our bread, which required yet another fee.
From "Crispin: The Cross of Lead" by Avi
"A decision has been made... to sign decrees declaring a regional-level emergency situation in the Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol," the Moscow-installed governor Sergey Aksyonov said in a post on Telegram.
From Barron's ● Jun. 26, 2026
In her interview with Mr. Varadarajan, Ms. Dhillon frames these consent decrees as onerous regulations that hamstring police.
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
For instance, councils need to have a library service - but there are no decrees over how many libraries there should be, when they should be open or how much should be spent on them.
From BBC ● Mar. 19, 2026
So the following year, the mayor decrees that his citizens start celebrating the World Series before the first pitch is thrown—an act that, in his confused mind, will ensure a victory.
From "Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything" by Steven D. Levitt
“In the odious decision of Dred Scott v. Sandford, this Court imposed the Southern States’ beliefs onto the Nation” and decreed Blacks could not become citizens, Roberts wrote.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 2, 2026
The outgoing president decreed a 24% minimum wage hike this January, more than even unions were demanding.
From Barron's ● Jun. 22, 2026
The reality, however, is that international football's governing bodies have decreed the game must go ahead, whether anyone likes it or not.
From BBC ● Mar. 30, 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
All of them stopped obediently when Bronden decreed, to help cut the limp, spiky tips from the pine-smelling trees that were growing along the way.
From "Rowan of Rin" by Emily Rodda
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
Initially, the state Catholic Conference also didn’t back this latest referendum, decreeing in June that church parishes couldn’t be used for signature gathering.
From Seattle Times ● Jul. 26, 2023
Any papal document would likely take the form of an Apostolic Constitution decreeing changes in Church law.
From Reuters ● Aug. 22, 2022
Women’s advocates, largely supported by religious scholars, have always maintained there’s nothing in the Quran decreeing a covering as restrictive as the burqa.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 23, 2021
Nothing could be more straightforward—except we never talk about finding, making or decreeing facts; instead, we ‘establish facts’.
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.
