decide

verb

de·cide | \ di-ˈsīd

, dē-\

decided; deciding

Definition of decide

transitive verb

1a : to make a final choice or judgment about decide what to do couldn't decide whether to take the job or not

b : to select as a course of action —used with an infinitive decided to go

c : to infer on the basis of evidence : conclude They decided that he was right.

2 : to bring to a definitive end one blow decided the fight

3 : to induce to come to a choice her pleas decided him to help

intransitive verb

: to make a choice or judgment decide on where to go

Other Words from decide Synonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about decide

Keep scrolling for more

Choose the Right Synonym for decide

decide, determine, settle, rule, resolve mean to come or cause to come to a conclusion. decide implies previous consideration of a matter causing doubt, wavering, debate, or controversy. she decided to sell her house determine implies fixing the identity, character, scope, or direction of something. determined the cause of the problem settle implies a decision reached by someone with power to end all dispute or uncertainty. the dean's decision settled the campus alcohol policy rule implies a determination by judicial or administrative authority. the judge ruled that the evidence was inadmissible resolve implies an expressed or clear decision or determination to do or refrain from doing something. he resolved to quit smoking

Examples of decide in a Sentence

He decided that dinner would be at 7 o'clock, and asked guests to arrive at 6. She is having difficulty deciding about the offer. They decided that he was right. I am trying to decide if it's warm enough for swimming. “Do you think she is telling the truth?” “I'm not sure. I'm still trying to decide.” A few hundred votes could decide the election. One blow decided the fight. This battle could very well decide the war. Will the business be successful? Let the public decide. The case will be decided by the Supreme Court.

Recent Examples on the Web

Or there’s the moment of the group deciding to take some Molly together in their matching floral pj’s. — Christian Allaire, Vogue, "Wine Country Looks Like the Next Bridesmaids," 11 Apr. 2019 For most people, deciding which candidate to support for president is a personal decision, driven not only by rational calculation but by intuition and emotion. — William A. Galston, WSJ, "How Character Can Win the Next Election," 9 Apr. 2019 Stars like Pascale Hutton and Paul Greene have encouraged Hearties to be patient while the network decides how to proceed without Lori, who played Abigail Stanton. — Megan Stein, Country Living, "'When Calls the Heart' Is Returning Tomorrow with a Cryptic 3-Minute Clip," 9 Apr. 2019 Any time the musician decides to bless us with his presence on Twitter, his contributions do not go amiss — for better or worse, as is his most recent case. — Teen Vogue, "Harry Styles Is Getting Trolled for Double-Tweeting About "Sign of the Times"," 8 Apr. 2019 Stung by the Democratic gains in November and sparked by another ACA legal challenge that could make its way to the Supreme Court, the president dug into the issue this past week, deciding to fight. — Lisa Mascaro, The Seattle Times, "Senate GOP wary in Trump’s revived health care battle," 1 Apr. 2019 Think of Jeremy Irons in Margin Call, as the CEO of an investment bank with a balance sheet full of toxic securities who decides to unload them on unsuspecting customers. — Bethany Mclean, Town & Country, "This New Play The Lehman Trilogy Turns the Financial Crisis Into High Art," 29 Mar. 2019 Maybe my kids and future grandchildren will be spared — because one medical weenie decided to help. — Paula Spencer Scott, Woman's Day, "I Participated in a Clinical Study to See if I Had Dementia — Here's What I Learned," 26 Mar. 2019 The death of the sedan was widely predicted in 2018—both Ford and GM deciding to axe many of their non-SUV offerings certainly gives that impression. — Jonathan M. Gitlin, Ars Technica, "The 2018 Cars Technica cars and SUVs of the year," 30 Dec. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'decide.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.