decision

noun

de·ci·sion | \ di-ˈsi-zhən

Definition of decision

(Entry 1 of 2)

1a : the act or process of deciding the moment of decision has come

b : a determination arrived at after consideration : conclusion made the decision to attend graduate school

2 : a report of a conclusion a 5-page decision a Supreme Court decision

3 : promptness and firmness in deciding : determination acting with decision

4a : win specifically, combat sports : a victory based on points awarded Former heavyweight champion kickboxer Sterling (Cash) McCallum took a unanimous decision over Cesar Rendon in an eight-round standard bout in Phoenix … — New York Times

b baseball : a win or loss officially credited to a pitcher has five wins in eight decisions

decision

verb

decisioned; decisioning; decisions

Definition of decision (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

combat sports

: to win by being awarded more points than (an opponent) … he hasn't won an important fight since he decisioned Duran on Jan. 30, 1982.— William Nack

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Examples of decision in a Sentence

Noun

She announced her decision to go to medical school. Have you made a decision? He based his decision on facts, not emotions. She made a conscious decision to leave the painting unfinished. We need someone who will act with decision even under pressure. The U.S. Supreme Court's 1954 decision brought an end to racial segregation in public schools.

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

The decision raised questions about Swedbank’s forthrightness about compliance procedures, such as a potential failure to detect suspicious transactions with connections to the Danske scandal, according experts who specialize in financial crime. — Kristin Broughton, WSJ, "Swedbank’s Crisis Management Questioned in Walk-Up to Money-Laundering Investigations," 3 Apr. 2019 There to speak about the importance of involving women in the decision making process, Jolie went for pieces that wouldn’t overshadow her words. — Janelle Okwodu, Vogue, "Angelina Jolie Proves You Don’t Need a Suit to Command Attention at the United Nations," 30 Mar. 2019 The cabinets may take up the most visual real estate, but that's far from the only major decision made. — Candace Braun Davison, House Beautiful, "This Is The Kitchen The Internet Designed," 25 Mar. 2019 Facebook appears to have reversed the decision quickly. — Emily Stewart, Vox, "Diamond and Silk, Fox & Friends’ favorite black Trump supporters, explained," 5 Feb. 2019 Despite the outcry from users at the time, the decision proved to be a wise one. — Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, "Book tells the inside story of how Reddit came to be the Internet’s “id”," 30 Dec. 2018 Now our watered down health care is making decisions based on cost and not what’s best for the patient. — Allure, "The 15 Best Face Washes for Oily Skin," 19 Mar. 2019 Then the decision can be made to fund or not fund based on w hat happened to graduates of that program. — Chuck Thompson, Popular Mechanics, "The State of American Trade Schools," 13 Mar. 2019 Now, internal emails released by the UK Parliament show how the decision was made internally. — Russell Brandom, The Verge, "Facebook knew Android call-scraping would be ‘high-risk,’ new documents reveal," 5 Dec. 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

The first period also included Scott Laughton decisioning Chicago defenseman Connor Murphy in a fight. — Sam Carchidi, Philly.com, "Radko Gudas injured as Flyers fall to Crawford, Blackhawks," 1 Nov. 2017 Chris Early of Don Juan Avila decisioned Seth Lyon of Niguel Hills and four other finalists to win bodyboarding. — Fred Swegles, Orange County Register, "Shorecliffs surfers win O.C. event at San Clemente pier," 28 Mar. 2017

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

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Last Updated

8 Apr 2019

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The first known use of decision was in the 15th century

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More Definitions for decision

decision

noun

English Language Learners Definition of decision

: a choice that you make about something after thinking about it : the result of deciding

formal : the ability to make choices quickly and confidently

: the particular end of a legal or official argument : a legal or official judgment

See the full definition for decision in the English Language Learners Dictionary

decision

noun

de·ci·sion | \ di-ˈsi-zhən

Kids Definition of decision

1 : the act or result of making a choice especially after careful thought “… I have come to a very important decision. These are the wrong sort of bees.”— A. A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh

2 : the ability to make choices quickly and confidently She was a leader of courage and decision.

decision

noun

de·ci·sion | \ di-ˈsi-zhən

Legal Definition of decision

: an authoritative determination (as a decree or judgment) made after consideration of facts or law also : a report or document containing such a determination — see also memorandum decision — compare disposition, finding, holding, judgment, opinion, ruling, verdict

Note: A decision, while being an authoritative determination of a disputed issue, does not have to be a final determination closing the case. Some interlocutory decisions may be appealed.