1
as in to choose
to come to a judgment about after discussion or consideration
they decided to go out for pizza after the movie was over
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to determine
to give an opinion about (something at issue or in dispute)
the judge decided that the defendant was not liable for damages
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to arrange
to come to an agreement or decision concerning the details of
we waited for our captors to decide our fate
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in to settle
to make final, definite, or beyond dispute
the huge sum that they were offering decided the matter: we would sell the house
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in to understand
to form an opinion or reach a conclusion through reasoning and information
the commanding officer decided that the soldier was indeed telling the truth
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of decide
But DeSantis appears to be hoping that Trump’s early endorsement won’t decide the 2026 governor’s race.
—
Kirby Wilson, Sun Sentinel, 6 Mar. 2025
Each federal agency decides which services and employees are essential, which typically includes law enforcement officers, national security agents, active duty military personnel, and federal prison guards.
—Nik Popli, TIME, 6 Mar. 2025
But when Allie decides to give her ex-fiance a second chance and jilts her new flatmate, Hedra’s demure
demeanor begins to shift and increasingly sour.
—Samantha Bergeson, IndieWire, 6 Mar. 2025
Not least of which, how exactly does best picture get decided?
—Patrick Ryan, USA TODAY, 23 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for decide
Kirby Wilson, Sun Sentinel, 6 Mar. 2025
Each federal agency decides which services and employees are essential, which typically includes law enforcement officers, national security agents, active duty military personnel, and federal prison guards.
—Nik Popli, TIME, 6 Mar. 2025
But when Allie decides to give her ex-fiance a second chance and jilts her new flatmate, Hedra’s demure
demeanor begins to shift and increasingly sour.
—Samantha Bergeson, IndieWire, 6 Mar. 2025
Not least of which, how exactly does best picture get decided?
—Patrick Ryan, USA TODAY, 23 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for decide
Recent Examples of Synonyms for decide
Verb
-
Those on the college track might choose a school abroad, an option no longer reserved for the wealthy.—
Lisa Z. Lindahl,
Forbes,
28 Feb. 2025
-
For all the doubt that antivaccine advocates, including RFK, Jr., have sowed around childhood immunizations, for all the political proclamations of conscientious objection and the freedom to choose, this child did not have a choice.—
Megha Satyanarayana,
Scientific American,
28 Feb. 2025
Verb
-
Clashes reportedly continued overnight into Sunday but CNN was unable to determine the full extent of the unrest.—
Nadeen Ebrahim,
CNN,
9 Mar. 2025
-
Here are four simple questions that can determine longevity of your connection.—
Mark Travers, Contributor,
CNBC,
9 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
Three years later, Ade arranged a romantic trip to Italy for the couple with the intention of asking Houston to be his wife.—
Megan Pinckney Rutherford,
Vogue,
4 Mar. 2025
-
In 1894, Ah Say arranged to have a hundred-and-thirty-foot ceremonial dragon delivered for the community’s annual New Year celebration.—
Michael Luo,
The New Yorker,
3 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
Slotkin spoke from Wyandotte, Mich., a working-class community south of Detroit, as Democrats struggle to settle on a unified message to combat Trump, which was on full display Tuesday night as Trump delivered the longest address to Congress by a president in U.S. history.—
Democrat-Gazette staff from wire reports,
arkansasonline.com,
5 Mar. 2025
-
Slotkin’s spoke from Wyandotte, Michigan, a working-class community south of Detroit, as Democrats struggle to settle on a unified message to combat Trump, which was on full display Tuesday night as Trump delivered the longest address to Congress by a president in U.S. history.—
Joey Cappelletti,
Chicago Tribune,
5 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
The real stories of the game and its people from someone who lives it and understands it better than any member of the media who has never played the game ever could.—
Jon Krawczynski,
The Athletic,
8 Mar. 2025
-
Plus, the startup is also building out its use of AI to understand complex datasets and more.—
Zoya Hasan,
Forbes,
7 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
In 2022, Dolton voters opted to recall Henyard, but an appellate court ruled the vote was invalid.—
R. Christian Smith,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Feb. 2025
-
Milwaukee moved him into a relief role late last season, in part to manage his workload but also to prepare him for a possible call-up but ultimately, the organization opted to leave him in the minors down the stretch.—
Andrew Wagner,
Forbes,
26 Feb. 2025
Verb
-
At McDonald’s, she was judged on both the restaurant’s performance, as well as her own.—
Jonathan Shorman,
Kansas City Star,
4 Mar. 2025
-
The contest was judged by DAR member and film producer Blessing Joao, local actor and filmmaker Tony Janick and Los Altos History Museum Executive Director Anna Toledano.—
Anne Gelhaus,
The Mercury News,
3 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
Instead, smaller, specialized models are derived from these larger models to handle specific tasks efficiently.—
Amit Verma,
Forbes,
7 Mar. 2025
-
The results derived from a random sampling of 1,004 adults aged 18 and over living in all 50 states, based on phone interviews, with a margin of error plus or minus four percent and with a 95 percent confidence level.—
Tommy Tuberville,
Newsweek,
7 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Decide.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/decide. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share