decree
noun
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Definition of decree
(Entry 1 of 2)
1 : an order usually having the force of law a judicial decree by royal decree
2a : a religious ordinance enacted by council or titular head a papal decree
b : a foreordaining will God's decree
3a : a judicial decision of the Roman emperor
b : a judicial decision especially in an equity (see equity sense 3a) court or probate court
decree
verbDefinition of decree (Entry 2 of 2)
2 : to determine or order judicially decree a punishment
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Other Words from decree
Verb
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noun
Synonyms for decree
Synonyms: Noun
behest, charge, command, commandment, dictate, direction, directive, do, edict, imperative, injunction, instruction, order, word
Synonyms: Verb
call, command, dictate, direct, mandate, ordain, order
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Examples of decree in a Sentence
Noun
The President issued a decree making the day a national holiday. Their marriage was annulled by judicial decree.Verb
The government decreed a national holiday. The change was decreed by the President. The City Council has decreed that all dogs must be kept on a leash.
Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
Naumann issued the decree on Dec. 21, the announcement said, and it was affirmed by the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith on March 2. — Judy L. Thomas, kansascity, "KCK priest is defrocked years after investigation into sexual abuse allegations," 20 June 2018 Severe Penalties Along with other social media platforms that fail to comply with a 2016 decree on the protection of personal information, Facebook could face severe penalties, said Rudiantara, who like many Indonesians uses one name. — Karlis Salna, Bloomberg.com, "Indonesia Threatens to Shut Down Facebook If Privacy Breached," 2 Apr. 2018 There were no decrees from Olympus or lightning bolt hurled from the hand of Zeus that shocked the Cincinnati Bengals and Buffalo Bills into a major pre-free-agency trade of draft picks and left tackle Cordy Glenn. — Jim Owczarski, Cincinnati.com, "Bengals Xtra: How the Cincinnati Bengals made the trade for Cordy Glenn," 25 Mar. 2018 For five years, Erdogan will need backing from hardcore nationalist Devlet Bahceli, leader of the MHP, to pass his budgets, move legislation and avoid a parliamentary veto of his decrees. — Ian Bremmer, Time, "Why Turkish President Erdogan Is Not as All-Powerful as He Seems," 28 June 2018 The Saudi ruler and his son, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, are banking on this mind-set to help catalyze support for and acceptance of their new decrees despite their radical disconnect from the laws of the recent past. — Margaret Coker, New York Times, "Saudi Women Can Now Drive. Overcoming Beliefs on Gender Will Be Harder.," 24 June 2018 But combine a child's nuance-less concept of nutrition with serious insecurity about my weight, and self-policing becomes even more potent than any parental decree. — Amiel Stanek, Bon Appetit, "A Lactose Intolerant's Guide to Loving Cheese Again," 27 Apr. 2018 Prince Mohammed has suggested that women aren’t required to wear abayas under Islamic law, though no official decrees have been made on the subject. — Donna Abdulaziz, WSJ, "Fashion Week Comes to Saudi Arabia—in Modest Style," 13 Apr. 2018 Abolishing the post of prime minister, the president will now form the government, appoint ministers, vice presidents and high-level bureaucrats, issue decrees, prepare the budget and has the power to impose a state of emergency. — Zeynep Bilginsoy, Fox News, "Erdogan inaugurates Turkey's powerful executive presidency," 10 July 2018Recent Examples on the Web: Verb
Trying to stay ahead of the curve, both Bird and Blue Duck have proactively decreed Alamo Plaza and the River Walk to be off limits to their scooters. — Richard A. Marini, San Antonio Express-News, "Downtown gets the Bird with fun-to-ride scooters," 5 July 2018 Most notably, while Sessions decreed that his ruling overturned any precedent that contradicted it, USCIS only told asylum officers to stop using the one precedent decision Sessions explicitly named as moot. — Dara Lind, Vox, "Exclusive: Trump administration plan would bar people who enter illegally from getting asylum," 29 June 2018 The original script had the two characters kissing — but ABC’s director of standards and practices decreed that a kiss was not to be shown. — Yvonne Villarreal, latimes.com, "'Thirtysomething' team reunites to reflect on revolutionary ABC drama," 9 June 2018 The world’s three largest cities were London, Beijing and Canton (now Guangzhou), the southern port where the Qing decreed that all foreign commerce must take place. — Julian Gewirtz, WSJ, "‘Imperial Twilight’ Review: An Explosive Mix of Trade and Politics," 17 May 2018 Obsessed with trying to modernize his country, the 18th-century Czar Peter the Great decreed a new capital would be built from scratch in a swamp by the Baltic Sea. — James Ellingworth, Fox News, "WORLD CUP: Sun never sets in a St. Petersburg summer," 7 May 2018 Hungary’s parliament last week approved a legislative package aimed not only at barring the gates to almost any outsider — but also decreeing punishment for those who try to aid would-be migrants. — Laura King, latimes.com, "The European country that makes the U.S. look lenient on immigration," 28 June 2018 David McNew/Getty Images Surprised by vehement public reaction, President Donald Trump has decreed an end to the policy of separating arriving asylum seekers from their children. — David A. Martin, Vox, "How to fix the crisis caused by Central American asylum seekers — humanely," 2 July 2018 The 1990 movie features staples from the original 1940s comic books, including Nazi supervillain Red Skull (though the producer, late B-movie impresario Menahem Golan, decreed he become Italian to avoid offending the German market). — Adam Thompson, WSJ, "The ‘Captain America’ You Probably Missed," 18 June 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'decree.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for decree
decree
noun
English Language Learners Definition of decree
(Entry 1 of 2)
: an official order given by a person with power or by a government
: an official decision made by a court of law
decree
verbEnglish Language Learners Definition of decree (Entry 2 of 2)
: to order or decide (something) in an official way
See the full definition for decree in the English Language Learners Dictionary
decree
noun
\
Kids Definition of decree
(Entry 1 of 2)
: an order or decision given by a person or group in authority
decree
verbKids Definition of decree (Entry 2 of 2)
: to give an order as an authority Mom decreed that it was bedtime.
decree
noun
\
Legal Definition of decree
1 : an order having the force of law by judicial decree
2 : a judicial decision especially in an equity or probate court broadly : judgment divorce decree interlocutory decree
: a decree entered by a court that is determined by the parties' agreement : a settlement between the parties that is subject to judicial approval and supervision specifically : such a decree by which the accused agrees to cease alleged illegal activities without admitting guilt
: a provisional decree that will become final unless cause is shown why it should not
Note:
Some states grant divorces using decrees nisi. The decree nisi creates a time period (as of 3 months) allowing for possible reconciliation or for completion of various arrangements (as custody).
: a decree entered by a court based on a defendant's default and the presumption that the allegations are confessed — compare default judgment at judgment sense 1a
: a decree that disposes of an action by determining all matters in dispute including especially the parties' rights — compare final judgment at judgment sense 1a
: a decree that is made during the course of an action and that does not settle all matters in dispute
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