decision-maker

noun

de·​ci·​sion-mak·​er di-ˈsi-zhən-ˌmā-kər 

variants or less commonly decision maker

plural decision-makers also decision makers

: someone who is known or primarily responsible for making decisions

a good decision-maker

one of the company's key/top decision makers

However, this does not permit corrections personnel or a warden to automatically assume the role of the patient's medical decision-maker.

—Erik Larsen and Katherine Drabiak

Examples of decision-maker in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The team’s decision-makers will at least have to consider the possibility. — Jeff Zrebiec, New York Times, 16 Aug. 2026

Marketers need to treat the student as the primary decision-maker, using tangible incentives, student-friendly pricing, and direct campus engagement to lower the risk of trying a new product and justify its value well past move-in day. — Arthur Zaczkiewicz, Footwear News, 14 Aug. 2026

The next layer is interpretation Modern due diligence produces more information than most decision-makers can examine directly. — Miami Herald, 14 Aug. 2026

Macdonald also said the Seahawks’ decision-makers held informal, one-on-one conversations with some team leaders. — Andrew Destin, Baltimore Sun, 14 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1887, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for decision-maker

• policymaker
• automaker
• boilermaker
• cabinetmaker
• coffeemaker
• troublemaker
• undertaker
• blackacre
• caretaker
• clockmaker
• dressmaker
• filmmaker