decide
Americanverb (used with object)
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decides,
present (3rd person singular)
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decided,
past participle, past
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deciding
present participle
-
to solve or conclude (a question, controversy, or struggle) by giving victory to one side.
The judge decided the case in favor of the plaintiff.
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to determine or settle (something in dispute or doubt).
to decide an argument.
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to bring (a person) to a decision; persuade or convince.
The new evidence decided him.
verb (used without object)
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decides,
present (3rd person singular)
-
decided,
past participle, past
-
deciding
present participle
-
to settle something in dispute or doubt.
The judge decided in favor of the plaintiff.
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to make a judgment or determine a preference; come to a conclusion.
verb
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(may take a clause or an infinitive as object; when intr, sometimes foll by on or about) to reach a decision
decide what you want
he decided to go
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(tr) to cause (a person) to reach a decision
the weather decided me against going
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(tr) to determine or settle (a contest or question)
he decided his future plans
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(tr) to influence decisively the outcome of (a contest or question)
Borg's stamina decided the match
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(intr; foll by for or against) to pronounce a formal verdict
Usage
What are other ways to say decide?
To decide is to settle something in dispute or doubt. How is it different from resolve and determine? Find out on Thesaurus.com.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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decidesimple
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decidessimple
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have decidedperfect
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has decidedperfect
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am decidingprogressive
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are decidingprogressive
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is decidingprogressive
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have been decidingperfect progressive
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has been decidingperfect progressive
Past
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decidedsimple
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had decidedperfect
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was decidingprogressive
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were decidingprogressive
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had been decidingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of decide
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English deciden, from Middle French decider, from Latin dēcīdere, literally, “to cut off,” equivalent to dē- de- + -cīdere (combining form of caedere “to strike, cut down”; see -cide ( def. ))
Explanation
To decide is to make up your mind to do (or not do) something. People decide hundreds of things a day, from what to eat to what TV shows to watch. Deciding involves making decisions — choosing what to do. There are a lot of things in life to decide, such as where to live, what school to go to, where to apply for a job, and what kind of clothes to buy and wear. At any restaurant, there are hundreds of options: you have to decide which is right for you. You can also say that if a touchdown ended a game, it decided the game.
Vocabulary lists containing decide
TEKS ELAR Academic Vocabulary List (5th-7th grades)
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5th Grade Government Vocabulary, List 1
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"Zlateh the Goat"
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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:
Or you decide you would like to own, and you discover that, while home prices are higher than the national average, they are still much cheaper than Seattle.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 20, 2026
“If we do decide to roll something out, we will take a thoughtful approach and do so with full transparency,” a Meta spokesman said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2026
You can either self-insure and set aside enough money for a prolonged period of care, buy traditional long-term-care insurance, or decide upon some kind of combination.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 18, 2026
The party's Senedd group is meeting on Thursday morning to decide if it needs to hold a vote or can appoint someone to the role.
From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026
I set it down unsteadily, unable to decide on a move.
From "The Bletchley Riddle" by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin
In “Let Them Eat Goo,” South Park Elementary decides to replace its cafeteria meat with a plant-based substitute after Cartman suffers two heart attacks.
From Salon ● Sep. 18, 2026
“This cycle’s playbook is shrink the floating balance, because it was expensive before the hike ever arrived. … The Fed decides what rates do next. You decide how much of your life floats.”
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 16, 2026
The two men organize a lunch with Wiatt at the Beverly Wilshire, and at some point they and Jennifer—and Patrick, who decides last minute to attend—gently break the news.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026
Mallory decides she can inhabit the world of a down-and-out gay addict.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 15, 2026
Father Monaghan decides to make a trip to Novaliches without Joey.
From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly
Investors are well aware of the risks, but they have simply decided none are significant enough to force them out of the market.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 20, 2026
Gen. Rob Bonta challenged the move, which is being decided by the California Supreme Court.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026
"So I decided I had to run and win the race."
From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2026
When Griffin decided to jump into the video talk show arena, she initially thought she’d need a whole shiny studio before shooting the first episode in her living room.
From Salon ● Sep. 19, 2026
“Some other people I know also applied, so I decided to go for it. Keep my options open. Won’t hurt anyone to try, right?”
From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam
If the sauce needs nothing from me, I can spend that energy making dessert, mixing a cocktail for guests, warming bread — or simply deciding which sparkling water sounds good.
From Salon ● Sep. 20, 2026
Earlier on Saturday, world number two Luke Humphries lost the deciding leg of his last-16 match against Dirk van Duijvenbode.
From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2026
This isn’t foolproof, of course, because many factors including loyalty status go into deciding who gets bumped out of a seat.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
Gallardo admitted on the “Scottie & Frnds” podcast that he didn’t know about Leimert Park’s significance to the Black community, admitting he “should’ve done more research” before deciding to take Barrio Athletics there.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2026
That morning my parents were having trouble deciding if they could afford a newer used car.
From "Lawn Boy" by Gary Paulsen
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.
