INDEX:
1. to decide to do something
2. to decide that something is true
3. something that has been decided
4. when someone has the right or responsibility to decide
5. able to make decisions quickly and firmly
6. when someone has not yet decided
7. unable to decide about something
8. not good at making decisions quickly and firmly
RELATED WORDS
see also
↑ JUDGE
↑ CHOOSE
↑ THINK
↑ OPINION
↑ DETERMINED
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1. to decide to do something
▷ decide /dɪˈsaɪd/ [intransitive/transitive verb]
to make a choice that you are going to do something :
▪ We’ll support you whatever you decide.
decide to do something
▪ She decided to tell her mother all about it that evening.
decide not to do something
▪ If you decide not to accept our offer, let me know.
decide (that)
▪ I’ve decided that I really must stop smoking.
decide what/how/which etc
▪ Martha took hours deciding which dress to wear.
▪ Have you decided whether to apply for that job?
decide against (doing) something
decide not to do something
▪ For a second he thought about using his gun, but decided against it.
▪ I was so tired that I decided against going to the party after all.
you decide
spoken used to tell someone to decide
▪ I don’t mind which restaurant we go to. You decide.
▷ make up your mind /ˌmeɪk ʌp jɔːʳ ˈmaɪnd/ [verb phrase]
to finally decide that you will definitely do something, after thinking about it :
make up your mind what/how/which etc
▪ I couldn’t make up my mind which college I wanted to go to.
make your mind up
▪ You’ll have to make your mind up soon, or there won’t be any tickets left.
make up your mind to do something
▪ John had made up his mind to forget the past and make a fresh start.
make up your mind (that)
▪ She’s finally made up her mind that she wants to study Law.
▷ choose /tʃuːz/ [transitive verb]
to decide to do something because you want to, without worrying about what other people think :
choose to do something
▪ More and more young couples today are choosing not to marry.
▪ I told him to drive more slowly, but he chose to ignore my advice.
▷ make a decision /ˌmeɪk ə dɪˈsɪʒ ə n/ [verb phrase]
to decide after thinking carefully about something, especially about something that is very important :
▪ After weeks of sleepless nights, I finally made a decision.
make a decision to do something
▪ I think you should make the decision to marry him - he’s great!
make a decision about
▪ We don’t have to make a decision about that now, let’s think about it for a day or two.
▷ arrive at/come to/reach a decision /əˌraɪv ət, ˌkʌm tʊ, ˌriːtʃ ə dɪˈsɪʒ ə n/ [verb phrase]
to officially decide about something important after discussing and carefully considering it :
▪ Before reaching a decision the chairman usually talks to senior managers.
▪ Let me know as soon as you arrive at a decision.
arrive at/come to/reach a decision on/about
▪ After two hours the committee had still not come to a decision on any of the proposals.
▷ resolve /rɪˈzɒlvǁrɪˈzɑːlv, rɪˈzɔːlv/ [transitive verb not in progressive or passive] formal
to decide that you will definitely do something and will not change your mind about it, especially because you have learned from your past experiences :
resolve to do something
▪ I resolved to keep quiet about what I had heard, since it would only cause trouble.
▪ After the divorce she resolved never to marry again.
▷ come down in favour of British /come down in favor of American /kʌm ˌdaʊn ɪn ˈfeɪvər ɒv/ [verb phrase]
to decide finally to support one plan or action instead of another :
▪ Following a heated debate, the House of Commons came down in favour of the treaty.
▪ The Senate came down in favor of the appointment of Judge Thomas to the US Supreme Court.
▷ take it into your head to do something /ˌteɪk ɪt ɪntə jɔːʳ ˌhed tə ˈduː something/ [verb phrase not in progressive] spoken
if someone takes it into their head to do something, they suddenly decide to do something that you think is stupid or strange :
▪ He took it into his head to borrow his Dad’s car without asking.
▪ For some reason they took it into their heads to go swimming at midnight.
2. to decide that something is true
▷ decide /dɪˈsaɪd/ [transitive verb not in progressive]
to think that something is true, after thinking about it, checking it, or looking at it :
decide (that)
▪ I listened to his story and decided he was probably telling the truth.
decide whether/which/what etc
▪ She couldn’t decide whether the dress suited her or not.
▷ come to/reach the conclusion /ˌkʌm tə, ˌriːtʃ ðə kənˈkluːʒ ə n/ [verb phrase]
to decide that something is true after thinking carefully about all the facts :
come to/reach the conclusion (that)
▪ I came to the conclusion that there was only one way of tackling the problem.
▪ Scientists were gradually coming to the conclusion that the disease was hereditary.
▷ conclude /kənˈkluːd/ [transitive verb not in progressive]
to decide that something is true or to make a judgment about it after carefully considering all the facts :
conclude (that)
▪ The jury listened carefully to the evidence and concluded that the man was guilty.
▪ It seems reasonable to conclude that people’s behaviour is influenced by what they see on TV.
conclude from something that
▪ Davis concludes from an analysis of traffic accidents that the speed limit should be lowered.
▷ jump to conclusions /ˌdʒʌmp tə kənˈkluːʒ ə nz/ [verb phrase]
to decide too quickly that something is true, without considering all the facts :
▪ Don’t jump to conclusions! Just because he’s late doesn’t mean he’s had an accident.
▷ judge /dʒʌdʒ/ [transitive verb] formal
to decide that something is true after examining a situation carefully and using your knowledge and experience :
judge that
▪ Kaldor judged that the moment was exactly right to call an election.
judge whether/which/what etc
▪ It’s difficult to judge whether this is the right time to tell him.
▷ deduce /dɪˈdjuːsǁdɪˈduːs/ [transitive verb not in progressive]
to decide that something must be true because of other facts that you know - used to talk about scientific or technical decisions :
deduce (that)
▪ Darwin’s observations led him to deduce that plants and animals could adapt to their surroundings.
deduce something from something
▪ The police surgeon was able to deduce the probable time of death from the temperature of the body.
▷ infer /ɪnˈfɜːʳ/ [transitive verb not usually in progressive]
to form an opinion or decide that something is probably true because of other information you already know :
infer that
▪ It is easy to infer that the marriage was not a very happy one.
infer from something that
▪ From archaeological evidence we can reasonably infer that these people used stone cutting tools.
3. something that has been decided
▷ decision /dɪˈsɪʒ ə n/ [countable noun]
▪ They’re going to close the school, but I think that’s the wrong decision.
make/take a decision
▪ As chief executive, I often have to take difficult decisions.
decision to do something
▪ My decision to leave school when I was only 15 was the worst mistake I ever made.
decision on
▪ The board is expected to make a decision on the merger by August.
big decision
a difficult and important decision
▪ It’s a big decision. Go home and discuss it with your wife.
somebody’s decision is final
cannot be changed
▪ The referee’s decision is final.
▷ judgment /ˈdʒʌdʒmənt/ [countable noun]
an official decision given by a judge or court of law :
▪ Another opposition newspaper was suspended for three months in a court judgement on Thursday.
▷ verdict /ˈvɜːʳdɪkt/ [countable noun]
an official decision made by a jury in a court of law about whether someone is guilty or not guilty of a crime :
reach a verdict
make a decision
▪ It took the jury 24 hours of deliberations to reach their verdict.
return a verdict
officially say what your verdict is
▪ A second inquest in February returned a verdict of death by misadventure.
a verdict of guilty/not guilty
▪ The foreman read the verdict of guilty fourteen times, one for each defendant.
4. when someone has the right or responsibility to decide
▷ it is up to somebody /ɪt ɪz ˈʌp tə somebody/ especially spoken
if you say it’s up to someone, you mean that that person should make the decision about something, and no one else :
▪ ‘Where would you like to go this evening?’ ‘It’s up to you - it’s your birthday.’
it is up to somebody what/when/whether etc
▪ It’s up to them what they do with their money.
it is entirely up to somebody
▪ I think you should take the job, but of course it’s entirely up to you.
▷ be for somebody to decide /biː fəʳ somebody tə dɪˈsaɪd/ [verb phrase] formal
use this when only one person or group has the right or authority to make a decision about something important :
▪ We cannot say if he’s guilty or not. That is for the court to decide.
it is for somebody to decide what/whether/when etc
▪ It’s for you to decide whether you go to university or not - not your parents.
▷ the ball is in your court /ðə ˌbɔːl ɪz ɪn ˈjɔːʳ ˌkɔːʳt/
if the ball is in your court, it is your turn to make a decision and other people are waiting for that decision :
▪ I’ve told you what I think of your idea -- the ball’s in your court now.
▪ The terrorists had made their demands clear and the ball was in the government’s court.
▷ rest with /ˈrest wɪð/ [transitive phrasal verb]
if a decision rests with someone, they have the authority to decide what should be done :
▪ The committee has made certain recommendations, but the final decision rests with the President.
▪ Responsibility for any military operation always rested with the commander.
5. able to make decisions quickly and firmly
▷ decisive /dɪˈsaɪsɪv/ [adjective]
someone who is decisive can make decisions firmly and confidently, without needing too much time to talk about them or think about them :
▪ We are still waiting for Jim to make up his mind. I wish he would be more decisive.
▪ This country needs strong, decisive leadership.
decisively [adverb]
▪ The police responded to the crisis quickly and decisively.
6. when someone has not yet decided
▷ have not decided/have not made up your mind /hæv ˌnɒt dɪˈsaɪdə̇d, hæv ˌnɒt meɪd ʌp jɔːʳ ˈmaɪnd/ [verb phrase]
▪ ‘Are you selling your house?’ ‘We haven’t decided yet.’
have not decided what/how/whether etc
▪ I haven’t decided what I’m going to get my brother for his birthday.
▪ Steve hasn’t made up his mind whether he’s in favour of the idea or not.
▷ be undecided /biː ˌʌndɪˈsaɪdə̇d/ [verb phrase]
someone who is undecided has not yet decided about something, especially something important :
▪ ‘Is Fred going to take the job?’ ‘He’s still undecided.’
be undecided about/as to
▪ A third of the voters remain undecided about how they will vote.
be undecided what/ which/whether etc
▪ He hesitated, undecided whether to go or stay.
▷ keep your options open /kiːp jɔːr ˈɒpʃ ə nz ˌəʊpənǁ-ˈɑːp-/ [verb phrase]
to deliberately avoid or delay making an important decision so that you are free to decide later :
▪ New technology’s getting cheaper and better all the time, so if I were you I’d keep my options open for a while.
▪ Some presidential candidates keep their options open about policy issues in order to avoid losing any voters.
7. unable to decide about something
▷ can’t decide/can’t make up your mind /ˌkɑːnt dɪˈsaɪd, ˌkɑːnt meɪk ʌp jɔːʳ maɪndǁˌkænt-/ [verb phrase]
to not be able to make a decision :
▪ What colour are you going to paint your room?‘ ’I can’t make up my mind."
can’t decide what/whether/how etc
▪ It was time to go and I still couldn’t decide what to wear.
▪ We can’t decide whether to go to Greece or Italy this year.
▷ be in two minds /biː ɪn ˌtuː ˈmaɪndz/ [verb phrase] informal
to be unable to decide whether or not to do a particular thing :
be in two minds about
▪ My parents want me to study medicine, but I’m still in two minds about it.
▪ Des was in two minds about buying the car, but the salesman persuaded him.
be in two minds whether to do something
▪ I’m in two minds about whether to get a dog or not - it’s such a responsibility.
▷ dither /ˈdɪðəʳ/ [intransitive verb] informal
to keep changing your mind - use this when you think someone is weak or stupid because they cannot decide about something :
▪ Stop dithering and make up your mind.
dither over
▪ Marcia was still upstairs, dithering over what she should pack.
8. not good at making decisions quickly and firmly
▷ indecisive /ˌɪndɪˈsaɪsɪv/ [adjective]
▪ I’m sorry to be so indecisive, but can I let you know tomorrow?
▪ An indecisive commander is unlikely to win the confidence of his men.
indecisiveness [uncountable noun]
▪ The report criticized the chairman for his indecisiveness and lack of leadership.