Dictionary / decide
decide
- verb
- from Old French
To resolve (a contest, problem, dispute, etc.); to choose, determine, or settle.
1 All current definitions
Every sense of “decide” in current use, as recorded by Wiktionary. Older and obsolete senses are kept separately.
verb
- ambitransitiveTo resolve (a contest, problem, dispute, etc.); to choose, determine, or settle.
The election will be decided on foreign policies.
- intransitiveTo make a judgment, especially after deliberation.
You must decide between good and evil.
- transitiveTo cause someone to come to a decision.
Your admonition decided me against my intended course of action.
- Of a Turing machine: to return a correct answer (for some yes-or-no problem) on every possible input.
No Turing Machine can decide the halting problem.
Older & obsolete senses (1)
- obsoleteTo cut off; to separate.
Cross-check: WordNet senses (4)
- verbreach, make, or come to a decision about something — also: make up one's mind, determine
- verbbring to an end; settle conclusively — also: settle, resolve, adjudicate
- verbcause to decide
- verbinfluence or determine
Synonyms: choose up, decide, determine, resolve, find, judge, posken, make a decision, make up one's mind, take a decision, work out
Antonyms: jump to conclusions, rush to judgement
2 History of the word
The etymology, the path the word travelled, and the words built from it.
The word’s journey, newest to oldest:
- English (today)decide
- Middle Englishdeciden
- Old Frenchdecider
- Latindēcīdere
- Latindē “down from” + caedō “cut”
From Middle English deciden, from Old French decider, from Latin dēcīdere, infinitive of dēcīdō (“cut off, decide”), from dē (“down from”) + caedō (“cut”).
Derivatives — words built from “decide”
Phrases & compounds
Related terms
Want to go deeper? See also “decide” on Etymonline ↗
3 Original language
Where “decide” came from before it was English.
4 Original meaning
What the word meant at the oldest point the record reaches.
Historical meaning — Webster’s 1913
A historical record, labelled as such: some of these senses are dated or have since shifted.
decide v. t. [L. dec; de- + caedere to cut, cut off; prob. akin to E. shed, v.: cf. F. d. Cf. Decision.]
- To cut off; to separate.
- To bring to a termination, as a question, controversy, struggle, by giving the victory to one side or party; to render judgment concerning; to determine; to settle.
decide v. i.
- To determine; to form a definite opinion; to come to a conclusion; to give decision; as, the court decided in favor of the defendant.
5 Use it with confidence
Model sentences from the sources, matched to the meaning they show. Read each one aloud, then make your own in the game.
verbMeaning: To resolve (a contest, problem, dispute, etc.); to choose, determine, or settle.
The election will be decided on foreign policies.
It was decided to meet here at midnight.
verbMeaning: To make a judgment, especially after deliberation.
You must decide between good and evil.
I have decided that it is healthier to walk to work.
verbMeaning: To cause someone to come to a decision.
Your admonition decided me against my intended course of action.
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:
verbMeaning: Of a Turing machine: to return a correct answer (for some yes-or-no problem) on every possible input.
No Turing Machine can decide the halting problem.
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:
verbMeaning: reach, make, or come to a decision about something
We finally decided after lengthy deliberations
verbMeaning: bring to an end; settle conclusively
The case was decided
The judge decided the case in favor of the plaintiff
verbMeaning: cause to decide
This new development finally decided me!
verbMeaning: influence or determine
The vote in New Hampshire often decides the outcome of the Presidential election
Three steps to owning it
- Pick one meaning above and read its model sentence out loud.
- Say who or what the word is about in your own life, then build a sentence around that.
- Check it against the definition: would a careful reader understand exactly that meaning?
6 The mastery game
Play it here, or print it and do it with pen and paper. At the end you will know the meanings, history, origin and original meaning — and you will have used the word yourself.
Say it, then spell it
decide
/dɪˈsaɪd/
Say the word out loud three times, slowly. Notice the stressed syllable. When you are ready, hide it and spell it from memory.
Activate Words · Word-mastery worksheet · Name: ______________________ Date: __________
decide
/dɪˈsaɪd/ · verb
Step 1 — Say it and write it
Say “decide” out loud three times. Then cover the word and write it three times from memory.
Step 2 — Know every meaning
Read each definition. Then write it again in your own words.
Step 3 — Which meaning is it?
“The election will be decided on foreign policies.”
Circle the meaning used.
“You must decide between good and evil.”
Circle the meaning used.
“Your admonition decided me against my intended course of action.”
Circle the meaning used.
Step 4 — History and origin
Write the word’s journey back in time (each language and form):
Write three words built from “decide” and what each means:
Step 5 — Original meaning
Read the etymology on the page. What does it tell you about the word’s earlier meaning?
How does that original meaning connect to the meanings today?
Step 6 — Use it yourself
☐ I can explain its meanings ☐ I know its history ☐ I know its original language ☐ I know its original meaning ☐ I can use it confidently
Answer key — decide
Which meaning, sentence 1: A. To resolve (a contest, problem, dispute, etc.); to choose, determine, or settle.
Which meaning, sentence 2: B. To make a judgment, especially after deliberation.
Which meaning, sentence 3: C. To cause someone to come to a decision.
Origin: A. Old French (Old French decider)
Journey: English decide ← Middle English deciden ← Old French decider ← Latin dēcīdere ← Latin dē + caedō
Some derivatives: decidability, decidable, decidement, decidophobia, misdecide, predecide, redecide, undecide
Built from: dē “down from” + caedō “cut”
Etymology: From Middle English deciden, from Old French decider, from Latin dēcīdere, infinitive of dēcīdō (“cut off, decide”), from dē (“down from”) + caedō (“cut”).
Sources: Wiktionary “decide” (https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/decide#English), CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org; Princeton WordNet 3.0; Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913, public domain) via GCIDE. Worksheet from https://activatewords.com/w/decide