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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Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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

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 decides So Issa decides to bring out the real Paul Baker by inviting over all his bros. — Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 28 Aug. 2026 Petitioners can move to gather signatures only if a judge decides that the recall charges meet the legal requirements for the process. — Zachary Fletcher, USA Today, 28 Aug. 2026 Rescued, Kuro decides to destroy the Dragon’s Heritage, a task that requires a tear from the Divine Dragon. — Aman Kumar, Encyclopedia Britannica, 27 Aug. 2026 The at-large role wields outsized influence on the 21-member school board because the president decides what goes up to vote, working closely with district leadership to shape CPS policy. — Kate Armanini, Chicago Tribune, 27 Aug. 2026 Special teams is what generally decides the final roster spots. — Rick Stroud, The Orlando Sentinel, 27 Aug. 2026 For high-volume production workloads, coding agents, document processing and customer operations that differential decides the purchase order. — Mark Minevich, Fortune, 21 Aug. 2026 Weeks after more than 72,000 people rushed into Ceuta, thousands of migrants remain camped on beaches and streets, stuck in limbo as Spain decides who can stay. — Antonio Sempere, Los Angeles Times, 21 Aug. 2026 With the help of his best friend Cliff, Robbie decides to take matters into his own hands by robbing the Dark Hearts’ drug-dealing operation in order to provide a better life for his children and to avenge his brother’s death. — Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 21 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for decides
  1. chooses
  2. determines
  3. arranges
  4. settles
  5. derives
  6. opts
  7. considers
  8. understands
Verb
  • Once a name is retired, the committee chooses a replacement, using relatively short, easy-to-pronounce names, and not after individuals.
    — Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA Today, 26 Aug. 2026
  • If a user chooses to store a ChatGPT conversation in the cloud, however, relevant Messages content follows the same retention policies as other content in that conversation.
    — Tatiana Sataua, Fortune, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of chooses
Verb
  • Rather bizarrely, that means Nvidia is in the hands of the oil market, because the oil market determines inflation and inflation determines Warsh's thinking.
    — Jim Cramer, CNBC, 30 Aug. 2026
  • Although vaccination prevents measles, trust determines whether people accept the vaccine.
    — Omer Awan, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of determines
Verb
  • And the concierge arranges virtually anything your heart desires, whether that's a private bike tour around the beaches of the Kennebunks, a hot air balloon ride, a cooking class, or a private dinner in the restaurant's wine cellar.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 28 Aug. 2026
  • The list of names for storms is prepared six years in advance of the current hurricane season by the World Meteorological Organization, which arranges them alphabetically.
    — Emily Mae Czachor, CBS News, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of arranges
Verb
  • Adebo could see some action against three-receiver sets regardless, depending on what Harbaugh settles with at the slot corner spot.
    — Pat Leonard, New York Daily News, 28 Aug. 2026
  • As the fiscal reality of these mandates settles in communities across the state, the scramble of local governments to avoid cutting both core and beloved school programs like Outdoor School will become even more frantic.
    — Chris Roemer, Baltimore Sun, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of settles
Verb
  • In those situations, advice derives much of its value from trust, accountability and experience.
    — Alex Shahidi, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026
  • As a result, the film derives overwhelming tension from the creature’s unknown qualities and the terror of an unseen force wreaking havoc on an unassuming community.
    — Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of derives
Verb
  • The pro tennis star often opts for stilettos attached to colorful footwear choices like sandal heels or mules.
    — Amina Ayoud, Footwear News, 29 Aug. 2026
  • His tape from last preseason and regular season, making acrobatic plays, would be tantalizing if Cincinnati opts to keep Meyers and Jones/Williams instead.
    — Paul Dehner Jr, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of opts
Verb
  • Redfin considers a place a buyer's market when the number of sellers exceeds the number of buyers by 10% or more.
    — Kelsey Neubauer, CNBC, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Income requirements SoFi also considers income during the application process, but doesn't disclose a specific minimum.
    — Rebecca Safier, USA Today, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of considers
Verb
  • Luiz understands that aspect, too, acknowledging that Sporting KC needed him four separate times during Thursday’s news conference.
    — Daniel Sperry, Kansas City Star, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Churches, neighborhoods, nonprofits, businesses, utilities and government should periodically engage in preparedness exercises so everyone understands their role.
    — Freida Graves, Chicago Tribune, 28 Aug. 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 1 Sep. 2026.

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