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
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of decides
In the original script, Laura, despite becoming aware of the twisted role into which she’s been cast, decides to stay with Betty’s family.
—
Holden Seidlitz, New Yorker, 20 Mar. 2026
The Martinez Lake temperature won’t be deemed a new national March heat record unless the National Centers for Environment Information decides to investigate it.
—Chris Dolce, CNN Money, 20 Mar. 2026
In this movie-length sequel, Shelby decides to break his self-isolation when his son's recklessness forces his hand.
—Brittney Melton, NPR, 20 Mar. 2026
But Blackwell agreed with attorneys for the plaintiffs who argued that the issue isn't moot, because the government still doesn't have a formal plan requiring access that sets out who decides the conditions under which clergy are admitted.
—CBS News, 20 Mar. 2026
John packs a bag and decides to go to a hotel for a couple of days, though Carolyn begs him not to leave.
—Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 20 Mar. 2026
The answers depend less on the Gulf than on what Washington decides to do next.
—Alaa Shahine Salha, semafor.com, 19 Mar. 2026
Now feeling emotionally unmoored and with the financial strain of covering tuition hanging over them, the couple eventually decides to go out for a nice, relaxing meal at Blake Junior’s.
—Chase Hutchinson, IndieWire, 19 Mar. 2026
The pattern in their tragedies is always the same — a leader, swollen with success, decides the rules no longer apply to him.
—Anthony Scaramucci, Fortune, 19 Mar. 2026
Holden Seidlitz, New Yorker, 20 Mar. 2026
The Martinez Lake temperature won’t be deemed a new national March heat record unless the National Centers for Environment Information decides to investigate it.
—Chris Dolce, CNN Money, 20 Mar. 2026
In this movie-length sequel, Shelby decides to break his self-isolation when his son's recklessness forces his hand.
—Brittney Melton, NPR, 20 Mar. 2026
But Blackwell agreed with attorneys for the plaintiffs who argued that the issue isn't moot, because the government still doesn't have a formal plan requiring access that sets out who decides the conditions under which clergy are admitted.
—CBS News, 20 Mar. 2026
John packs a bag and decides to go to a hotel for a couple of days, though Carolyn begs him not to leave.
—Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 20 Mar. 2026
The answers depend less on the Gulf than on what Washington decides to do next.
—Alaa Shahine Salha, semafor.com, 19 Mar. 2026
Now feeling emotionally unmoored and with the financial strain of covering tuition hanging over them, the couple eventually decides to go out for a nice, relaxing meal at Blake Junior’s.
—Chase Hutchinson, IndieWire, 19 Mar. 2026
The pattern in their tragedies is always the same — a leader, swollen with success, decides the rules no longer apply to him.
—Anthony Scaramucci, Fortune, 19 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for decides
Verb
-
The Monday, March 23 episode showed part two of battle rounds, which is where members of the same team sing a duet, and then the judge chooses one to advance to the knockout stage.—
Ella Gonzales
March 24,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
24 Mar. 2026
-
Regardless of which options Congress chooses, your benefits will be reduced.—
Elliot Raphaelson,
The Orlando Sentinel,
21 Mar. 2026
Verb
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That’s what determines whether a crowd stays stable or tips toward danger.—
Yook JiHun,
Popular Science,
26 Mar. 2026
-
Labin details the elaborate process of elimination that determines which socks to bring to the festival each year.—
Scott Neuman,
NPR,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
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This technology arranges pocketed coils in a honeycomb-style hexagonal matrix rather than traditional straight rows, allowing weight to be distributed more evenly across the mattress surface.—
Jason Phillips,
USA Today,
25 Mar. 2026
-
In Morocco, Alex Wix of Wix Squared frequently arranges Sahara journeys with a private astronomer to interpret the constellations.—
Mark Ellwood,
Robb Report,
14 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Lisa Marie Malloy, Roy Whitaker, United States, 2026 Darkness settles over Little Egypt.—
William Earl,
Variety,
25 Mar. 2026
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While the Justice Department settles most tax matters civilly through fines, when prosecutors do charge criminal fraud, their conviction rate is over 90%.—
Avi Asher-Schapiro,
ProPublica,
24 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Meanwhile, Anthropic, which is backed by Google and Amazon, derives roughly 80% of its revenue from enterprise accounts and lists business clients such as Shopify, HubSpot and Spotify.—
Morgan Chittum,
CNBC,
24 Mar. 2026
-
Originally from Cancun, Mexico, Otero derives a lot of her designs and materials that remind her of swimming in the ocean as a child, like reflective-looking acrylics that look like water.—
Noelle Alviz-Gransee
Updated March 23,
Kansas City Star,
23 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Pete opts to move out of Kay and Benton’s house and into a hotel with Dorothy.—
Max Gao,
HollywoodReporter,
19 Mar. 2026
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That’s because the filing deadline is automatically extended for an extra five days whenever a sitting lawmaker opts against seeking another term.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
18 Mar. 2026
Verb
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On the final day of the festival, The Observer is hosting an event with debut novelists the paper considers to be rising stars of fiction.—
Irenie Forshaw,
TheWeek,
26 Mar. 2026
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Millet considers the first run of Theatre Obscure to be an experiment in how much touch and scent audiences may want to endure.—
Todd Martens,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Toussaint, the alumna who lives nearby, understands the dangers of crossing, even with the pedestrian signal.—
Johane Saintil,
Miami Herald,
26 Mar. 2026
-
Their exits stem from creative decisions around their storylines, THR understands.—
Jackie Strause,
HollywoodReporter,
25 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Decides.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/decides. Accessed 27 Mar. 2026.
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