Word family noun decision indecision adjective decided ≠ undecided decisive ≠ indecisive verb decide adverb decidedly decisively ≠ indecisively
From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishdecidede‧cide /dɪˈsaɪd/ ●●● S1 W1 verb 1 [intransitive, transitive]DECIDE to make a choice or judgment about something, especially after considering all the possibilities or arguments → decision Has anything been decided yet?decide to do something Tina’s decided to go to Rome for her holidays.decide (that) It was decided that four hospitals should close.decide who/what/whether etc I can’t decide whether I like him or not. People have a right to decide how to spend their own money.decide between something A meeting was called to decide between the three candidates.decide for yourself (=make your own decision) You must decide for yourself. The trainees decide among themselves what programs to take.decide against/in favour of (doing) something He eventually decided against telling her. After a long discussion, they decided in favour of (=chose) the older applicant.GrammarIn more formal English, you can say it is decided that something should be done: It was decided that he should resign.2 [transitive]EFFECT/INFLUENCE to influence a situation or event so that a particular result is produced It was the penalty kick that decided the match.3 [transitive]DECIDE to be the reason for someone making a particular choice Taxes could be the deciding factor for millions of floating voters.decide somebody to do something The look he gave her decided her not to ask.4 [intransitive, transitive] law to make an official or legal judgment The Commission will have the power to decide disputes.decide in favour of/against somebody If the Parole Board decides in his favour, the prisoner will be released. → decide on/upon somethingTHESAURUSdecide to make a choice to do somethingWe decided to send our son to a boarding school.I decided to go home early.make up your mind to decide something, especially after thinking about it for a long time. Make up your mind is less formal than decide and is mainly used in spoken EnglishHave you made up your mind about where you’ll go on holiday?choose to do something to decide to do something – especially when this is different from what people expect or tell you to doShe chose to ignore my advice.More young couples are choosing not to marry.make a decision to decide after thinking carefully about something, especially about something that is very importantThey made a decision not to have children.resolve formal to decide that you will definitely do something, especially because you think it will be better for you, or because of your past experiencesShe resolved to work hard at school.determine formal to officially decide what something shall beEach hospital can determine its own pay rates.come down in favour of something British English, come down in favor of something American English to decide to support a particular plan, argument etc – used especially about groups of people Eight of the ten committee members came down in favour of the changes.come to/reach a decision to officially decide about something important after discussing and carefully considering it – used especially about groups of peopleAfter two hours of discussion, the committee had still not come to a decision on any of the proposals. → See Verb tableExamples from the Corpus
decide• We'll support you whatever you decide.• I don't mind which restaurant we go to. You decide.• I was so tired that I decided against going to the party after all.• In the end I decided against it.• For a second he thought about using his gun, but decided against it.• I listened to his story and decided he was probably telling the truth.• If you decide not to accept our offer, let me know.• She decided she could live on her reserves for a few hours, and went back to the hospital.• I've decided that I really must stop smoking.• The Court of Appeal had two reasons for deciding that Rule 1 did not apply.• The parents decided that Sean might be more successful elsewhere, so they enrolled him in a recommended local private school.• A 3-point basket in the final 5 seconds decided the game.• Citizens must be allowed to decide their own futures.• Or maybe you saw too much emotion around you and decided to avoid it to stay safe.• Wyatt decided to change the subject.• She decided to tell her mother all about it that evening.• It is the children who decide what they will communicate about.• When you go to a place called Texas Bone, deciding what to order becomes a moot point.• She couldn't decide whether the dress suited her or not.• Have you decided whether to apply for that job?• Martha took hours deciding which dress to wear.decide to do something• Price decided to be a candidate for the city council.• I decided to decide that it was for the best.• That was when Brian decided to go it alone, sourcing the units and adapting them himself.• In fact, one friend decided to kill himself before the horror set in fully.• But Christopher has a slightly different angle on why Agnew's have decided to take this leap into the present.• I decided to tell you and Jasper, in case I was a carrier.• Elorriaga had decided to withdraw when Congress refused to support his proposals on taxation and on the refunding of the public debt.the deciding factor• However, for the majority of those that eventually retired early, redundancy appears to have been the deciding factor.• These were probably not, however, the deciding factors.• Notice that the bell and not the referee calling a halt is the deciding factor here.• Taxation is often the deciding factor in choosing between alternative deal structures.• The mischief produced by this institution was incalculable because it made religious differences the deciding factor in every political contest.• Financial considerations can never be the deciding factor in sentencing.• But the deciding factor was the latter's growing fatigue in the final stages.• Often the deciding factor when choosing whether to take a lump sum is the problem of investing it.decide in favour of/against somebody• The courts decided in favour of the men.Origin decide (1300-1400) French décider, from Latin decidere “to cut off, decide” 