Word family noun decision indecision adjective decided ≠ undecided decisive ≠ indecisive verb decide adverb decidedly decisively ≠ indecisively
From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishdecisionde‧ci‧sion /dɪˈsɪʒən/ ●●● S1 W1 noun 1 [countable]DECIDE a choice or judgment that you make after a period of discussion or thought Do you ever wonder if you made the right decision?decision to do something She refused to discuss her decision to quit the group.decision about/on We finally came to a firm decision on the matter.decision as to which/whether/who etc Viewers make the final decision as to who should be eliminated from the competition. The judges’ decision is final (=it will not be changed).2 [uncountable]DECIDE the quality someone has that makes them able to make choices or judgments quickly and confidently OPP indecision the ability to act with speed and decision3 [uncountable]DECIDE the act of deciding something The Court has the ultimate power of decision.COLLOCATIONSverbsmake a decisionI want to think about it a bit longer before I make a decision.take a decision British English (=make an important or formal decision)I fully accept the decision taken by the committee.reach/come to/arrive at a decision (=make a decision after a lot of thought)We hope they will reach their decision as soon as possible.regret a decision (=wish you had not made a particular decision)I was already regretting my decision to go on holiday with him.reconsider a decision (=think about changing a decision you have made)He said he wasn't prepared to reconsider his decision.reverse a decision (=change a decision)They want him to reverse his decision to quit.overrule/overturn a decision (=officially change a decision by another person or group)A director of the company had overruled that decision.postpone a decision (=not make a decision until later)The government has postponed its decision about when to hold the election.adjectivesan important decisionMy father made all the important decisions.a big decision (=an important decision)Marriage is a big decision.a major decision (=very important)The government now has some major decisions to make.a difficult/hard/tough decisionIn the end I took the difficult decision to retire early.a good decisionIt was a good decision to change the name of the product.a bad decisionI think he made a bad decision.the right decisionShe chose to study Engineering and it was definitely the right decision.the wrong decisionI thought I'd made the wrong decision marrying Jeff.a conscious/deliberate decision (=one that you have thought about clearly)Belinda had made a conscious decision to have a baby.a clear/firm decision (=a definite one)It's now time to come to a clear decision on this.a final decision (=one that will not be changed)The council will make a final decision in four months.a snap decision (=one that you make extremely quickly)Police officers often have to make snap decisions on how to act.a controversial decision (=that people disagree about)The history of the law is full of controversial decisions.a hasty decision (=one that you make without enough thought)Don't let yourself be forced into making hasty decisions.a joint decision (=one that two people make together)Jo and I made a joint decision that we should separate.a collective decision (=one that a number of people make together)Society should take collective decisions about individual rights and responsibilities. Examples from the Corpus
decision• The board is expected to make a decision on the merger by August.• But I consider it my job to give a family the opportunity to make a decision.• This job requires the ability to act with speed and decision.• Just make the best decision you possibly can in the light of the information contained in Chapter 4.• It's a big decision. Go home and discuss it with your wife.• Neither does it inform complex and stressful child care decisions.• As chief executive, I often have to take difficult decisions.• If so, an immense difference would arise in decisions on right and wrong between Bentham and Mill.• The judges' decision is final.• Indeed, the real test will come this spring, in a series of key decisions by the Texas Public Utility Commission.• My decision to leave school when I was only 15 was the worst mistake I ever made.• Leicester Building Society has said it is considering options but has made no decision.• The burden of decision rests with the Supreme Court.• If persons beyond the subject of the decision are included, then specificity becomes impossible.• They're going to close the school, but I think that's the wrong decision.decision about/on• Make a decision on whether or not you like your negative qualities.• When taking a decision about personal pensions you should obtain as much information as possible.• Some states are only now making critical decisions about how to divide up the settlement money.• We make daily decisions about whether or not to say, whether or not to interrupt the assumptions being made about our presumed heterosexuality.• This was a very deliberate decision on her part.• This seems to be an accurate description of the initial decisions about seeking entry into higher education.• And he was the one who helped her make decisions about how to respond to the deadly disease.• To have the latitude to make decisions about how work was performed 3. 