decide

decide — verb

1. to look at the different possibilities available and pick one as your plan or ac

1.verbtransitive / intransitiveB1
Definition

to look at the different possibilities available and pick one as your plan or action after giving each some thought.

Example

Min decided to study engineering after visiting a robotics lab.

decide + to-infinitive for choosing an action

The committee decided on a date for the school festival after a long meeting.

decide on + noun for selecting an option

Common collocations
  • decide on a date/course/name
  • decide between two options
  • decide against something
  • hard to decide
  • finally decide
Synonyms
  • choose

    more general; can be a casual, quick pick without deliberation

  • resolve

    stronger commitment behind the decision; more formal

  • settle on

    emphasises the end of a period of uncertainty about options

Antonyms
  • hesitate

    to delay or be uncertain before choosing

Grammar Patterns

decide + to-infinitive

decide + that-clause

decide + wh-clause

decide on/about + noun/gerund

decide + noun phrase

Usage Note

Frequently followed by a to-infinitive or a that-clause. The pattern 'decide on [noun/gerund]' emphasises the option selected rather than the act of choosing.

Common Mistakes

❗ 'I decided joining the club.' ✅ 'I decided to join the club.' — Use a to-infinitive, not a gerund, after 'decide.'

❗ 'I decided going to the beach.' ✅ 'I decided on going to the beach.' — Use 'decide on' before a gerund.

2. to directly shape or control what ends up happening in a situation, so that a pa

2.verbtransitiveB2
Definition

to directly shape or control what ends up happening in a situation, so that a particular factor is the main reason for the final result.

Example

The quality of the ingredients often decides how good a dish will taste.

decide + wh-clause for the factor that controls a result

One more goal from Ziad would decide the winner of the championship.

Common collocations
  • decide the outcome
  • decide the winner
  • decide the fate of
  • factor/event decides
Synonyms
  • determine

    more neutral and slightly more formal; common in technical and academic writing

  • dictate

    suggests one factor has absolute control with no room for other influences

  • govern

    implies systematic or rule-based control over the result

Grammar Patterns

decide + that-clause

be decided by + noun/noun phrase

Usage Note

Subject is usually a thing or a situation (a factor, event, or condition), not a person making a conscious choice. Frequently used with wh-clauses ('whether', 'how', 'which').

3. to give a binding and final judgement on a dispute, case, or question that has b

3.verbtransitiveC1
Definition

to give a binding and final judgement on a dispute, case, or question that has been brought before a court, judge, or official panel.

Example

The Supreme Court decided the case in favour of the local community.

decide + case + in favour of — legal construction

A panel of three judges decided the custody dispute after hearing both sides.

Common collocations
  • decide a case
  • decide a dispute
  • decide an appeal
  • decide in favour of
  • decide against
Synonyms
  • adjudicate

    strictly legal; more technical and narrower in scope

  • rule

    common in both legal and non-legal official settings

  • resolve

    broader; can be used in legal or non-legal contexts to mean 'bring to a close'

Grammar Patterns

decide + a case/dispute/matter

decide + that-clause

be decided in favour of + noun

Usage Note

Primarily used in legal and formal procedural contexts. The object is usually a case, dispute, appeal, or similar matter. Distinguish from sense 1: here, the result carries official authority.

Common Mistakes

❗ 'The judge decided his son to study law.' ✅ 'The judge decided that the contract was valid.' — In legal sense 3, 'decide' takes a case or that-clause, not a person.

4. to be the final reason that makes someone choose a particular course of action a

4.verbtransitiveB2
Definition

to be the final reason that makes someone choose a particular course of action after a period of uncertainty.

Example

The low price of the flat near the station finally decided Samir to make an offer.

decide + person + to-infinitive — causative pattern

What decided Mayumi in favour of the job offer was the flexible working hours.

what decided + person — fronted-clause pattern

Common collocations
  • what decided me was
  • finally decided someone
  • decided someone in favour of
Synonyms
  • persuade

    more common and less formal; emphasises the act of convincing rather than the deciding factor

  • prompt

    suggests the reason triggered the decision without the element of finality

  • tip the balance for

    idiomatic; emphasises that the factor was the small but decisive one

Grammar Patterns

decide + person + to-infinitive

what decided + person + was/were + noun

be decided + to-infinitive

Usage Note

Frequently used in the structure 'what decided + person + was + reason.' The object is always a person or group capable of making a choice. This pattern is more common in written than spoken English.

Phrasal verbs

decide on

phrasal verb

To choose something after thinking about it.

Mia decided on the blue dress for the party.

Have you decided on a name for your puppy?

decide upon

phrasal verb

To choose something after careful consideration.

The committee decided upon a new marketing strategy.

We finally decided upon a date for the wedding.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

'Decide' emphasises the mental process of weighing options before reaching a conclusion, while 'choose' can be quicker and less deliberate (you choose a flavour of ice cream on impulse). 'Resolve' carries stronger personal commitment — you resolve to exercise daily, not merely decide to. 'Settle on' highlights the end of a period of uncertainty: you look at several colleges and finally settle on one. In everyday speech, 'decide' is the most neutral and widely used. Use 'choose' when the focus is on which item is picked; use 'decide' when the focus is on the thought process that leads to the picking. For example: 'I decided to move to Taipei after weighing the job options' vs. 'I chose the red bag because I liked the colour.'

decide ↗choose ↗resolve ↗settle on ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • hard to decide
  • difficult to decide
  • let someone decide
  • free to decide

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

The word 'decide' comes from the Latin verb 'decidere', which means 'to cut off' or 'to determine'. 'Decidere' was formed from 'de-' (off, away from) and 'caedere' (to cut). The original idea was that deciding 'cuts off' other possibilities — once you decide, the other options are no longer available. The word entered English through French in the 1300s and took on its modern meaning of settling a matter by making a choice.