1
as in to choose
to come to a judgment about after discussion or consideration
they decided to go out for pizza after the movie was over
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to determine
to give an opinion about (something at issue or in dispute)
the judge decided that the defendant was not liable for damages
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to arrange
to come to an agreement or decision concerning the details of
we waited for our captors to decide our fate
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in to settle
to make final, definite, or beyond dispute
the huge sum that they were offering decided the matter: we would sell the house
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in to understand
to form an opinion or reach a conclusion through reasoning and information
the commanding officer decided that the soldier was indeed telling the truth
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of decide
The Food and Drug Administration was expected to decide in April 2024 whether to ban formaldehyde in hair straightening products, but that decision continues to be delayed.
—
Kaitlin Sullivan, Health, 17 May 2025
With Edman expected to rejoin the team Sunday, the Dodgers will have to decide what to do with rookie Hyeseong Kim, who had his third straight multi-hit game and is hitting .452 in Edman’s absence.
—Kevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times, 17 May 2025
Here are some takeaways from Friday’s deciding game.
—Hailey Salvian, New York Times, 17 May 2025
Lai rejects China's sovereignty claims over the democratic and entirely separately governed island, saying only Taiwan's people can decide their future.
—Ben Blanchard, USA Today, 17 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for decide
Kaitlin Sullivan, Health, 17 May 2025
With Edman expected to rejoin the team Sunday, the Dodgers will have to decide what to do with rookie Hyeseong Kim, who had his third straight multi-hit game and is hitting .452 in Edman’s absence.
—Kevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times, 17 May 2025
Here are some takeaways from Friday’s deciding game.
—Hailey Salvian, New York Times, 17 May 2025
Lai rejects China's sovereignty claims over the democratic and entirely separately governed island, saying only Taiwan's people can decide their future.
—Ben Blanchard, USA Today, 17 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for decide
Recent Examples of Synonyms for decide
Verb
-
The fact that the high court chose this case to discuss universal injunctions could mean a majority want to reaffirm their use, said Ilya Somin, a law professor at George Mason University.—
Maureen Groppe,
USA Today,
12 May 2025
-
However, their two daughters, both under the age of 3, who Gilbert chose not to name, had been left in the dark about what their dad had planned.—
Jack Beresford,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 May 2025
Verb
-
Currently, there is no data on the containment status of the fire and the cause has yet to be determined.—
CA WILDFIRE BOT,
Sacbee.com,
8 May 2025
-
The pylon overlooking Eaton Canyon has for months been the focus of investigators who are looking to determine what sparked the deadly fire on Jan. 7, after video captured the initial flames burning underneath the structure.—
Salvador Hernandez,
Los Angeles Times,
8 May 2025
Verb
-
Fearing that terrorists or criminals might use such technology to plan attacks, arrange financing or recruit members, the Clinton administration advocated a system called the Clipper Chip, based on a concept of key escrow.—
Richard Forno,
The Conversation,
16 May 2025
-
The pair pitched that Death would arrange for the killing of the survivors using familiar objects and scenarios in complex or unexpected ways.—
Maureen Lee Lenker,
EW.com,
16 May 2025
Verb
-
Have all the evidentiary issues been settled? Not entirely.—
Jorge L. Ortiz,
USA Today,
17 May 2025
-
Listen to this article San Diego is paying out $700,000 to settle two injury lawsuits, one involving a pedestrian in San Ysidro and another involving a motorcycle rider in northern Clairemont.—
David Garrick,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
16 May 2025
Verb
-
And most key is that Abby is part of something much larger, which Ellie and Dina do not understand going into this at all.—
Adam B. Vary,
Variety,
5 May 2025
-
Redick understood he’d be judged by wins and losses in the NBA coaching seat.—
Jovan Buha,
New York Times,
3 May 2025
Verb
-
Instead, the tech mogul opted for renovations, reportedly leasing the properties back to their original owners in the meantime.—
Abby Montanez,
Robb Report,
9 May 2025
-
With Rakhmonov unable to compete at UFC 314, the UFC opted to book Muhammad against Della Maddalena in Montreal.—
Trent Reinsmith,
Forbes.com,
9 May 2025
Verb
-
But judge Thierry Donard said Depardieu's explanation of events had been unconvincing.—
Juliette Jabkhiro,
USA Today,
14 May 2025
-
The team next asked another group of taste testers to judge whether those compounds altered capsaicin and dihydrocapsaicin pungency, either on their own or in combination with one another.—
Andrew Paul,
Popular Science,
14 May 2025
Verb
-
In 2022, the new Labor government committed to net-zero targets and immediately began the work of driving carbon emissions down in a country which derives a significant portion of its wealth from extracting fossil fuels.—
Hilary Whiteman and Angus Watson,
CNN Money,
3 May 2025
-
Eli Lilly began mass-producing insulin derived from cows and pigs.—
Discover Magazine,
Discover Magazine,
3 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Decide.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/decide. Accessed 21 May. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share