Synonyms of decides

decides

verb

present tense third-person singular of decide

1

as in chooses

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

• chooses
• opts
• determines
• resolves
• figures
• finds
• concludes
• elects
• settles (on or upon)
• picks
• selects
• rules
• prefers
• names
• decrees
• contemplates
• ponders
• deliberates
• adjudicates
• considers
• adjudges
• rules (on)
• thinks (about or over)
• handpicks
• judges
• weighs
• debates
• culls
• arbitrates
• meditates
• entertains
• ruminates
• singles (out)
• cogitates
• studies
• mulls (over)
• referees
• questions
• umpires
• chews over

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• refuses
• rejects
• declines
• abstains
• hesitates
• turns down
• halts
• delays
• stalls
• vacillates
• wavers
• temporizes
• waffles
• shilly-shallies

2

as in determines

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

• determines
• settles
• considers
• judges
• resolves
• hears
• adjudicates
• arbitrates
• adjudges
• deems
• prosecutes
• rules (on)
• weighs
• concludes
• tries
• deliberates
• ponders
• referees
• umpires
• negotiates
• mediates
• finds (for or against)
• moderates
• sizes up
• redetermines
• rejudges

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• equivocates
• hedges
• skirts
• pussyfoots

3

as in arranges

to come to an agreement or decision concerning the details of

we waited for our captors to decide our fate

Synonyms & Similar Words

• arranges
• chooses
• resolves
• plans
• agrees (on)
• completes
• sets
• figures
• finalizes
• settles
• determines
• concludes
• designs
• finishes
• fixes
• charts
• disposes of
• approves
• confirms
• opts
• promises
• calculates
• programs
• negotiates
• schemes
• authorizes
• closes
• shapes
• pledges
• affirms
• maps (out)
• drafts
• maneuvers
• ends
• intrigues
• works out
• deals
• contracts
• lays out
• concerts
• schematizes
• frames
• hammers out
• sanctions
• warrants
• squares away
• blueprints
• winds up
• OKs
• clears
• rounds (off or out)
• bargains
• haggles
• wraps up
• dickers
• chaffers
• horse-trades

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• calls
• recalls
• drops
• revokes
• repeals
• differs (over)
• rescinds
• opposes
• resists
• disagrees (with)
• aborts
• debates
• counters
• calls off
• objects
• protests
• disputes
• contests

4

as in settles

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

• determines
• settles
• clinches
• clarifies
• proves
• defines
• ensures
• nails
• assures
• establishes
• shows
• demonstrates
• specifies
• affirms
• insures
• stipulates
• illuminates
• nails (down)
• states
• secures
• ends
• concludes
• finishes
• clears (up)

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• confuses
• unsettles
• muddles
• muddies

5

as in derives

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

• derives
• understands
• thinks
• concludes
• infers
• deduces
• assumes
• speculates
• extrapolates
• judges
• reasons
• guesses
• supposes
• ascertains
• gathers
• reads
• makes out
• draws a conclusion
• contemplates
• interprets
• surmises
• rationalizes
• construes
• conjectures
• philosophizes
• finds out
• dopes (out)

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of decides

If India decides to limit rice exports due to concerns about domestic food insecurity, that will in turn increase global rice prices. — Andrew Freedman, CNN Money, 2 Oct. 2026

If a community decides the potential benefits of such a project (jobs and reduced taxes, for example) outweigh its costs, the municipality should be able to move forward. — Mary Ramsey, Charlotte Observer, 2 Oct. 2026

Your skin chemistry decides the final shade, so no two faces wear the product exactly the same way. — Samantha Agate, Miami Herald, 1 Oct. 2026

If your doctor decides that you could have been exposed to rabies, treatment may include a series of rabies vaccination shots, which will prevent rabies symptoms, illness and death. — Karen Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 1 Oct. 2026

The merchandiser still decides what matters, but AI handles the volume. — Zohar Gilad, Forbes.com, 1 Oct. 2026

The stuff that fills your home decides how the ordinary hours actually feel. — Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Sacbee.com, 30 Sep. 2026

Set in the summer of 1970, the story turns on the diligent civil servant Heikki who decides to host a high-ranking Soviet diplomat at his family’s lakeside cottage. — Annika Pham, Variety, 25 Sep. 2026

In Nobody Wants This, agnostic podcaster Joanne Williams (Kristen Bell) begins an unexpected romance with Rabbi Noah Roklov (Brody), which shakes both their families as Joanne immerses herself in Noah’s culture and decides to convert to Judaism. — Glenn Garner, Deadline, 25 Sep. 2026