English Reference
noun · verb

decision

n. · v.
US /dɪˈsɪʒən/ UK /dɪsˈɪʒən/ de·ci·sion UK spelling decision's, decision's

  1. 01 A2 Elementary

    n.a choice you make after thinking about several options.

    n.a conclusion or resolution reached after consideration. Countable in most general contexts.

    Simple

    It was a difficult decision, but she finally chose the blue car.

    In context

    The board of directors reached a unanimous decision to expand the company's operations into the European market by the end of the fiscal year.

    Pitfall
    I did a decision to stay home. I made a decision to stay home.

    In English, you 'make' a decision; you do not 'do' one.

  2. 02 B1 Intermediate

    n.the process of making up your mind about something.

    n.the action or process of deciding something. Often uncountable when referring to the abstract process.

    Simple

    The decision of the winner took the judges a long time.

    In context

    The decision of the case rested entirely on the testimony of the final witness, whose evidence proved to be indisputable.

  3. 03 C1 Advanced Formal

    n.the ability to make choices quickly and stay sure about them.

    n.the quality of being firm, resolute, or determined. Uncountable in this sense.

    Simple

    The manager acted with great decision to solve the crisis.

    In context

    She lacked the decision required to lead a team through such a volatile period of corporate restructuring.

    decisivenessresolvefirmness
  4. 04 B2 Upper Intermediate Sport

    n.a result in a sport like boxing where judges pick the winner because there was no knockout.

    n.a result arrived at by the judges when there is no clear winner at the end of a contest. Common in combat sports.

    Simple

    The champion won the fight by a split decision after twelve rounds.

    In context

    Despite the challenger's aggressive start, the champion retained his title through a unanimous decision based on superior technical precision.

  5. 05 C2 Proficiency Technical Sport

    v.to beat an opponent in a sport by getting more points from the judges.

    v.to defeat an opponent by a decision of the judges rather than by a knockout or submission. Transitive use.

    Simple

    The young boxer managed to decision the veteran in a close match.

    In context

    He was able to decision his opponent by consistently landing cleaner strikes throughout the final three rounds of the tournament.

    outpoint

Usage decisions made · decision based · decision making


Derived from Middle French, from Latin dēcīsiō, dēcīsiōnis, from dēcīdō (“to decide”).

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry
Origin Latin dēcīsiō
Level A2 · Elementary
Frequency Very common
Updated