decree
Americannoun
-
decrees
plural
-
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)
-
decrees,
present (3rd person singular)
-
decreed,
past participle, past
-
decreeing
present participle
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 proceedings See decree nisi decree absolute
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
-
decreernoun
-
predecreeverb (used with object)
-
decreeableadjective
-
undecreedadjective
-
well-decreedadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
decreesimple
-
decreessimple
-
have decreedperfect
-
has decreedperfect
-
am decreeingprogressive
-
are decreeingprogressive
-
is decreeingprogressive
-
have been decreeingperfect progressive
-
has been decreeingperfect progressive
Past
-
decreedsimple
-
had decreedperfect
-
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
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" Speech (1963)
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Animal Farm
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
By BritBox decree, I am forbidden from reviewing it for now.
From Salon ● Sep. 4, 2026
Nor did it craft a consent decree or enforceable pledge to ensure compliance.
From Salon ● Sep. 1, 2026
No details were given about the circumstances of the alleged desertions of the 173 military personnel when Gen Amara Camara, the president's spokesman, read out the decree on Monday.
From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026
During the violence, Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa signed a decree enshrining the Kurds' national rights and recognising Kurdish as a national language, an unprecedented step since Syria's independence in 1946.
From Barron's ● Aug. 25, 2026
On December 22 the chairman of the California Horse Racing Commission gathered reporters together and issued the board’s decree: Red Pollard was banned from riding all horses, including stakes mounts, until January 1,1938.
From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand
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
But consent decrees are legally and politically complicated, and the treatment of migrant children further tangles the situation.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
We’re using incentives, decrees, and tariff discounts to attract new manufacturing plants to produce things like cars and motorcycles within Colombia.
From Barron's ● May 14, 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
Her marriage to Léonce Pontellier was purely an accident, in this respect resembling many other marriages which masquerade as the decrees of Fate.
From "The Awakening" by Kate Chopin
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
In this case, Musk decreed an opening price of $135 per share and the banks went along.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 16, 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
A majority opposed the oath but chose to sign nevertheless, especially after the regents decreed that those who refused would face dismissal.
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
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
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
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.
