DECIDING Synonyms: 236 Similar and Opposite Words

deciding 1 of 2

adjective

di-ˈsī-diŋ

Definition of deciding

as in decisive

serving to put an end to all debate or questioning the project's prohibitive cost was the deciding factor in its cancellation

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

deciding

2 of 2

verb

present participle of decide

as in choosing

to come to a judgment about after discussion or consideration they decided to go out for pizza after the movie was over

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as in determining

to give an opinion about (something at issue or in dispute) the judge decided that the defendant was not liable for damages

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as in arranging

to come to an agreement or decision concerning the details of we waited for our captors to decide our fate

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as in settling

to make final, definite, or beyond dispute the huge sum that they were offering decided the matter: we would sell the house

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as in deriving

to form an opinion or reach a conclusion through reasoning and information the commanding officer decided that the soldier was indeed telling the truth

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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 deciding

Adjective

Instead, the person must show race was the crucial and deciding factor. — Meg James, Los Angeles Times, 2 June 2025 The bullpen gave up the lead on the first pitch, and then three more in the deciding 10th inning. — Sam McDowell, Kansas City Star, 27 Mar. 2025 Travis weeks earlier cited as the deciding and unprecedented factor. — Chris Vannini, The Athletic, 9 Dec. 2024 As a result of the split, Sheboygan city residents play no deciding role in either of the two districts, which both lean heavily Republican. — Journal Sentinel, 9 Jan. 2024 Several people said the job fell to Tillis to convince enough Republican colleagues to vote in favor of the bill so no one person had to be the final deciding vote. — Anne Flaherty, ABC News, 5 Dec. 2022 The jurors in the Rittenhouse trial were overwhelmingly White not only in the original pool of 179 prospects but also in the final deciding panel of 12, where there was only one person of color. — Omar Jimenez, CNN, 23 Nov. 2021 Houck would be an obvious candidate to start again if the Sox are able to push this series to a fifth and deciding game. — BostonGlobe.com, 9 Oct. 2021

Verb

As a retired fighter, Taylor faces the daunting task of deciding what comes next. — Sarah Shephard, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2026 Right to Work laws consistently rank as one of the most important factors business leaders consider when deciding which state to relocate to or expand in, creating new jobs. — Mark Mix, Sun Sentinel, 6 Sep. 2026 Defensive Player of the Week Josiah Griffin, a senior defensive back, intercepts a pass with 90 seconds left and returns it 45 yards for the deciding TD as Waubonsie Valley earns its first win of season with a 28-21 victory over Palatine. — Rick Armstrong, Chicago Tribune, 6 Sep. 2026 The Federal Aviation Administration factors all of this in when deciding whether to grant licenses and permits. — Denise Chow, NBC news, 6 Sep. 2026 Look closely at the timeline before deciding the opportunity is impossible. — Tarot.com, Hartford Courant, 6 Sep. 2026 The jury deciding Lindsay Clancy’s fate ended a dramatic sixth day of deliberations Thursday without a verdict amid a dispute involving a holdout juror, with deliberations set to resume Friday. — Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 4 Sep. 2026 Even highly mature enterprise SOCs frequently remain dependent on humans assembling information from multiple systems, determining whether something is malicious and deciding what should happen next. — Emil Sayegh, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026 Car shoppers weigh several factors before deciding on a vehicle. — Mckynzie Steward, AJC.com, 28 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for deciding

Adjective

In hindsight, making a decisive call at 2-2, in the 55th minute, five minutes before 3-2, would have been prudent.

— Beren Cross, New York Times, 10 Sep. 2026
The factory should focus on customers for whom its automation creates a decisive advantage.

— Dhanush Bakthavatchalam, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2026

Definition of decisive

Verb

Give that interest something concrete, such as researching a course, comparing destinations, or choosing a date.

— Tarot.com, Baltimore Sun, 7 Sep. 2026
In November, voters in 26 states will elect a secretary of state, choosing the officials who will oversee the 2028 presidential race throughout most of the country.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 6 Sep. 2026

Definition of choosing

Verb

The case turned into a years-long legal saga, with multiple people convicted of their roles in arranging the hit, including Wendi’s brother, Charlie Adelson, and her mother, Donna.

— Jordana Comiter, PEOPLE, 4 Sep. 2026
Britain’s populist Reform UK said two senior aides to leader Nigel Farage stepped down on Friday after an undercover investigation alleged the party had broken electoral law by arranging for a foreign donor to pay for political polling.

— NBC news, NBC news, 4 Sep. 2026

Definition of arranging

Verb

Matsson’s settling in here is more than just a matter of place.

— Marissa R. Moss, Rolling Stone, 8 Sep. 2026
The question of whether Markle really expected Beyoncé to go out of her way to meet her, even as Markle is presumably still settling into her new life back in the UK, remains up in the air.

— Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 7 Sep. 2026

Definition of settling

Verb

In 1995, the death of 16-year-old John Marshall, who suffered a heart attack deriving from an undiagnosed condition known as arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy, proved to be a line-in-the-sand moment.

— Jordan Campbell, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2026
There's no retrieval system for reusing institutional knowledge rather than re-deriving it.

— Imran Aftab, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of deriving

Verb

Makeup artist Melanie Inglessis, favored by the likes of Rosamund Pike, Kirsten Dunst, and Jenna Ortega, attributes the ever-growing popularity of minimal makeup to general empowerment—women opting to own their individuality rather than cover it up.

— Calin Van Paris, InStyle, 4 Sep. 2026
The couple, who have been married for 12 years, kept things classic, both opting for black and glamorous coordinating style.

— Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 4 Sep. 2026