Word definition: decide

Etimology


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

verb


decide (third-person singular simple present decides, present participle deciding, simple past and past participle decided)

(transitive, intransitive) to resolve (a contest, problem, dispute, etc.); to choose, determine, or settle

(intransitive) to make a judgment, especially after deliberation

(transitive) to cause someone to come to a decision

(obsolete) to cut off; to separate

Examples


The election will be decided on foreign policies.

We must decide our next move.

Her last-minute goal decided the game.

The quarrel toucheth none but us alone; / Betwixt ourselves let us decide it then.

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!

You must decide between good and evil.

I have decided that it is healthier to walk to work.

So shall thy judgment be; thyself hast decided it.

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.

Our seat denies us traffic here; / The sea, too near, decides us from the rest.

Related words


synonyms

make up one's mind

choose

determine

pick

related terms

decider

decision

decisive

Data provided by Wiktionary