decides

verb

present tense third-person singular of decide
1
as in chooses
to come to a judgment about after discussion or consideration they decided to go out for pizza after the movie was over

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2
as in determines
to give an opinion about (something at issue or in dispute) the judge decided that the defendant was not liable for damages

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in arranges
to come to an agreement or decision concerning the details of we waited for our captors to decide our fate

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in settles
to make final, definite, or beyond dispute the huge sum that they were offering decided the matter: we would sell the house

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in derives
to form an opinion or reach a conclusion through reasoning and information the commanding officer decided that the soldier was indeed telling the truth

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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 decides The development calls into question the future of the USMCA, which will face annual reviews until 2036—or until one of the three partner nations decides to pull out. — Kate Nishimura, Footwear News, 16 Oct. 2026 District decides the race The gerrymandered 5th district would have been a monumental challenge for Cleaver if the courts hadn’t ruled to pause the law pending an election. — Jack Harvel, Kansas City Star, 16 Oct. 2026 Unclear Decision Rights If no one has stated who decides, who is consulted and who is informed, the safest move is to ask the person with the most authority. — Dr. Nore Salman, Forbes.com, 16 Oct. 2026 Infuriated and betrayed, Gabe decides to exorcize his rage by partying. — Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 16 Oct. 2026 Meanwhile, Randy Marsh, Stan’s ever-adventurous father, decides to check out the looksmaxxing craze and has his face rated by users. — Kevin Dolak, HollywoodReporter, 15 Oct. 2026 Whoever owns the media chooses its leaders, approves its budgets and decides where to cut $6 billion. — Seth Ashley, Fortune, 15 Oct. 2026 When his father is kidnapped by a paramilitary task force days before the coup, doctor Gustavo Vaca Narvaja returns to his family and decides to risk everything on a desperate escape. — John Hopewell, Variety, 14 Oct. 2026 Cybersecurity specialist Daniel Kellner (Josh O’Connor) decides to turn whistleblower upon discovering that the US government has been suppressing evidence of extra-terrrestrial life, as part of a cover-up that goes back decades. — Tom Bailey, Space.com, 9 Oct. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for decides
  1. chooses
  2. determines
  3. arranges
  4. settles
  5. derives
  6. opts
  7. considers
  8. understands
Verb
  • If the Fed chooses to raise interest rates to tamp today’s inflation down, capital-intensive renewables will suffer.
    — Tim McDonnell, semafor.com, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Herbert Nordrum chooses the funniest — and, ironically, maybe most British — possible allegory when describing his involvement in Georgia Oakley’s Sense and Sensibility.
    — Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of chooses
Verb
  • However, the discovery does not mean the same genetic variation determines organ placement in humans.
    — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 17 Oct. 2026
  • The Eagles announced Thursday that Hurts would miss Sunday’s game against the Carolina Panthers while the team determines his treatment.
    — Angela Haupt, Time, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of determines
Verb
  • They are invited to monthly meetings where Vasquez arranges for guest speakers on topics including public relations and banking.
    — Terry Tang, Los Angeles Times, 12 Oct. 2026
  • The team’s creepiest and most contented member is Xavier Von Erck (Matthew Maher), an online vigilante who arranges the show’s meetups, spending his days and nights fishing around in online chat rooms.
    — Justin Chang, New Yorker, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of arranges
Verb
  • Once your wager settles, BetMGM will credit your account with up to $1500 (matching your original wager) in Bonus Bets if your first bet loses.
    — OutKick, FOXNews.com, 10 Oct. 2026
  • As the heat settles in, fire crews are remaining on high alert, particularly as vegetation becomes increasingly dry this late in the year.
    — Brady Halbleib, CBS News, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of settles
Verb
  • FirstDate primarily derives those preferences from questionnaires.
    — Matthew Tan, CNBC, 4 Oct. 2026
  • The power of prediction markets derives precisely from sucking our attention toward what’s speculable—incentivizing the networked crowd to separate signal from noise at scale.
    — Simon Denny, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of derives
Verb
  • The Dallas City Council passed a resolution in 2019 that opts to observe the day as Indigenous Peoples' Day.
    — Matthew Ablon, CBS News, 12 Oct. 2026
  • Prepared daily with whole milk, Greek yogurt and kaffir, Nudes’ product opts for toppings like pistachio and baklava crisp over sugary candy or sprinkles, Solonin said.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of opts
Verb
  • Is there any point at which Baier considers whether someone like Hemingway should continue to be on air?
    — Aidan McLaughlin, Vanity Fair, 16 Oct. 2026
  • That's because while the IRS generally considers a return filed on the day it is postmarked, most states require mail-in ballots to arrive by Election Day, regardless of when they were mailed or postmarked.
    — Sarah Agostino, CNBC, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of considers
Verb
  • Deadline understands that a number of executives in its unscripted casting and development teams have been impacted by the cuts.
    — Peter White, Deadline, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Jasper, in Chicago, understands the risk of silencing those hunger cues.
    — Anna Cooban, CNN Money, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of understands

Browse Nearby Words

deciders
decides
decides (on)
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Cite this Entry

“Decides.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/decides. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

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