Dictionary

decide en · VERB

Pronunciation

• (US) audio
• /dɪˈsaɪd/

Etymology

From Middle English deciden, from Old French decider, from Latin dēcīdere, infinitive of dēcīdō (“cut off, decide”), from dē (“down from”) + caedō (“cut”).

Meanings

1. (ambitransitive) To resolve (a contest, problem, dispute, etc.); to choose, determine, or settle.
   • Her last-minute goal decided the game.
   • I did not see the program, but Mrs. Nixon told me that you were great on the Donahue Show. As you can imagine, she is an expert on politics and she predicts that whenever you decide to run for office you will be a winner! 1987 December 21, Richard Nixon, Letters to Trump, Winning Team Publishing, published 2023, →ISBN, →OCLC, page 10:
   • The election will be decided on foreign policies.
   • It was decided to meet here at midnight.
   • The quarrel toucheth none but us alone; / Betwixt ourselves let us decide it then. 1591 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The First Part of Henry the Sixt”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene i]:
2. (intransitive) To make a judgment, especially after deliberation.
   • I have decided that it is healthier to walk to work.
   • You must decide between good and evil.
   • Since this cowl released a flutter of moths and parted at the shoulder as he was getting into it, he decided that it must be his own. 1954, Hubert Van Zeller, Downside By and Large, page 277:
   • So shall thy judgment be; thyself hast decided it. 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, 1 Kings 20:40:
3. (transitive) To cause someone to come to a decision.
   • It decides me to look into the matter, for if it is worth anyone's while to take so much trouble, there must be something in it. 1920, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, The Adventure of the Three Gables, Norton, published 2005, page 1537:
   • Your admonition decided me against my intended course of action.
4. Of a Turing machine: to return a correct answer (for some yes-or-no problem) on every possible input.
   • First, the hierarchy theorems tell us that a Turing machine can decide more languages in EXPSPACE than it can in PSPACE. 1997, Michael Sipser, Introduction to the Theory of Computation, Boston, M.A.: PWS Publishing Company, →ISBN, page 313:
   • No Turing Machine can decide the halting problem.
5. (obsolete) To cut off; to separate.
   • Our seat denies us traffic here; / The sea, too near, decides us from the rest. 1642, Thomas Fuller, The Holy State, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire: […] Roger Daniel for John Williams, […], →OCLC:

Forms

Antonyms

jump to conclusions · rush to judgement

Deriveds

misdecide · decidable · decidement · redecide · undecide · decidability · predecide · decide upon · decidophobia · decide on

Hypernyms

sit in judgement

Hyponyms

toss up · adjudicate · make a stick for one's own back · pass sentence · sign one's death warrant · fall into a trap

Relateds

decider · decisive · decision

Synonyms

elect · appoint · pick · sever · predestine · determine · pick · split up · elect · choose up · divorce · judge · posken · part · disintegrate · prefer · opt · separate · sever · extract · designate · accept · dispart · preponderate · excerpt · piecemeal · resolve · poll · adopt · cast · rescind · sunder · take a decision · make up one's mind · divide · decide · work out · section · winnow · determine · divorce · decide · select · partition · espouse · split · desire · choose · becut · determine · single out · decide · crave · divvy up · choose · discerp · vote · make a decision · dissever · favor · sunder · make up one's mind · find · embrace · judge · settle

Translations (191)

bg реша́ (to resolve or settle) · he החליט (to resolve or settle) · ru реша́ть (to resolve or settle) · el αποφασίζω (give judgement) · ka გადაწყვეტა (to resolve or settle) · la statuo (to resolve or settle) · ko 결정하다 (give judgement) · sh одлу́чити (to resolve or settle) · hu dönt (give judgement) · he הכריע (give judgement) · yi באַשליסן (to resolve or settle) · ja 決定する (give judgement) · lo ຕັດສິນໃຈ (to resolve or settle) · izh duumata (give judgement) · es decidir (to resolve or settle) · la statuo (to cause someone to come to a decision) · th ตัดสินใจ (to resolve or settle) · hu elhatároz (to resolve or settle) · es resolver (to resolve or settle) · yi באַשליסן (give judgement) · ja 決める (give judgement) · sq vendos (to resolve or settle) · uz qaror qilmoq (give judgement) · fi ratkaista (to cause someone to come to a decision) · it deliberare (give judgement) · cs rozhodnout (give judgement) · fr décider (give judgement) · nl beslissen (to resolve or settle) · lad dar karar (to resolve or settle) · haw hoʻoholo (to resolve or settle) · fi ratkaista (to resolve or settle) · gl decidir (to resolve or settle) · la decido (to resolve or settle) · cs rozhodovat (to resolve or settle) · be рашы́ць (give judgement) · ga cinn (to resolve or settle) · kmr qerar dan (to resolve or settle) · ko 정하다 (to resolve or settle) · ar صَمَّمَ (to resolve or settle) · liv loptāntõ (to resolve or settle) · uk вирі́шувати (give judgement) · ca decidir (to resolve or settle) · pl zdecydować (to resolve or settle) · ro convinge (to cause someone to come to a decision) · sv avgöra (give judgement) · sh odlúčiti (give judgement) · la decerno (to cause someone to come to a decision) · de entscheiden (give judgement) · uk вирі́шувати (to resolve or settle) · km តាំងចិត្ត (to resolve or settle) · nb beslutte (to resolve or settle) · gl decidir (give judgement) · bn স্থির করা (to resolve or settle) · fo gera av (give judgement) · gd suidhich air (give judgement) · got 𐌰𐌽𐌳𐌸𐌰𐌲𐌺𐌾𐌰𐌽 (give judgement) · ms putus (to resolve or settle) · fi päättää (give judgement) · tg тасмим гирифтан (to resolve or settle) · bg разреша́вам (give judgement) · kk шығару (to resolve or settle) · mk одлучи (to resolve or settle) · de entschließen (to resolve or settle) · sk rozhodovať (to resolve or settle) · ur فیصلہ کرنا (to resolve or settle) · bg реша́вам (to resolve or settle) · is ákveða (to resolve or settle) · yue 解決 /解决 (to resolve or settle) · gd cuir ro (to resolve or settle) · sv bestämma (to resolve or settle) · fr décider (to resolve or settle) · my သန္နိဌာန်ချ (to resolve or settle) · it decretare (give judgement) · la constituo (to cause someone to come to a decision) · es decidir (give judgement) · grc διακρίνω (to resolve or settle) · pt decidir (give judgement) · hi फ़ैसला करना (to resolve or settle) · fa تصمیم گرفتن (give judgement) · az qərar vermək (to resolve or settle) · el κρίνω (to resolve or settle) · he הכריע (to resolve or settle) · tk ýüregne düwmek (to resolve or settle) · de festsetzen (give judgement) · ro decide (to resolve or settle) · vi quyết định (to resolve or settle) · ko 정하다 (give judgement) · fi valita (give judgement) · bg разреша́вам (to resolve or settle) · hi निर्णय करना (to resolve or settle) · alt буйурар (to resolve or settle) · pt decidir (to resolve or settle) · pl decydować (to resolve or settle) · alt салар (to resolve or settle) · ar قَرَّرَ (to resolve or settle) · ia decider (to resolve or settle) · da afgøre (give judgement) · ar قَرَّرَ (give judgement) · ln kana (to resolve or settle) · uk ви́рішити (to resolve or settle) · ml തീരുമാനിക്കുക (give judgement) · it stabilire (to resolve or settle) · sh odlúčiti (to resolve or settle) · io decidigar (to resolve or settle) · yue 決定 /决定 (give judgement) · ky чечүү (to resolve or settle) · la sancio (to cause someone to come to a decision) · liv loptātõ (to resolve or settle) · eo decidi (to resolve or settle) · ru реши́ть (give judgement) · de beschließen (give judgement) · uk ви́рішити (give judgement) · kmr qerar dan (give judgement) · ro decide (give judgement) · ja 決する (give judgement) · zza qerar dayen (to resolve or settle) · lv lemt (give judgement) · ast decidir (to resolve or settle) · km សម្រេចចិត្ត (to resolve or settle) · sk rozhodnúť (to resolve or settle) · th ตัดสิน (to resolve or settle) · lt nuspręsti (to resolve or settle) · kmr biryar dan (give judgement) · ko 해결하다 (to resolve or settle) · hy վճռել (to resolve or settle) · sl odločiti (to resolve or settle) · da afgøre (to resolve or settle) · et otsustama (to resolve or settle) · lad desidar (to resolve or settle) · hy որոշել (to resolve or settle) · io decidar (to resolve or settle) · bg реша́вам (give judgement) · bni kana (to resolve or settle) · la decido (give judgement) · grc βούλομαι (give judgement) · lut ʔiw (to resolve or settle) · xal шиидх (to resolve or settle) · kmr biryar dan (to resolve or settle) · fo gera av (to resolve or settle) · hu döntést hoz (give judgement) · sq danoj (to resolve or settle) · pl postanowić (to resolve or settle) · be раша́ць (give judgement) · da beslutte (to resolve or settle) · sh одлу́чити (give judgement) · la edico (to cause someone to come to a decision) · ky чыгаруу (to resolve or settle) · cmn 決定 /决定 (give judgement) · lv lemt (to resolve or settle) · ja 解決する (to resolve or settle) · lo ຕັດສິນ (to resolve or settle) · pl zdecydować (give judgement) · af besluit (to resolve or settle) · hu dönt (to resolve or settle) · ja 決める (to resolve or settle) · mfe deside (give judgement) · it convincere (to cause someone to come to a decision) · izh reknata (give judgement) · tk ýüregine düwmek (to resolve or settle) · fi ratkaista (give judgement) · de beschließen (to resolve or settle) · ka გადაჭრა (to resolve or settle) · chr ᏕᎫᎪᏗᎭ (give judgement) · om murteessuu (to resolve or settle) · el αποφασίζω (to resolve or settle) · fa تصمیم گرفتن (to resolve or settle) · ru реши́ть (to resolve or settle) · ca decidir (give judgement) · be рашы́ць (to resolve or settle) · cmn 解決 /解决 (to resolve or settle) · ml തീരുമാനിക്കുക (to resolve or settle) · ang ġesċēadan (to resolve or settle) · my ဆုံးဖြတ် (to resolve or settle) · sv besluta (to resolve or settle) · izh meinata (give judgement) · lad dechidir (to resolve or settle) · tr karar vermek (to resolve or settle) · da få en person til at beslutte sig (to cause someone to come to a decision) · cs rozhodnout (to resolve or settle) · ru реша́ть (give judgement) · nl besluiten (to resolve or settle) · be раша́ць (to resolve or settle) · hu eldönt (to resolve or settle) · it pronunciarsi (give judgement) · tr karar vermek (give judgement) · cs rozhodnout se (give judgement) · de entscheiden (to resolve or settle) · kmr biryar pê dan (to cause someone to come to a decision) · uz qasd qilmoq (to resolve or settle) · ast decidir (give judgement) · it decidere (to resolve or settle)