deciding

adjective

de·​cid·​ing di-ˈsī-diŋ How to pronounce deciding (audio)
dē-
Synonyms of decidingnext
: that decides : decisive
drove in the deciding run

Synonyms

See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of deciding in a Sentence

the project's prohibitive cost was the deciding factor in its cancellation
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Instead, the person must show race was the crucial and deciding factor. — Meg James, Los Angeles Times, 2 June 2025 The bullpen gave up the lead on the first pitch, and then three more in the deciding 10th inning. — Sam McDowell, Kansas City Star, 27 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

from present participle of decide

First Known Use

1611, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of deciding was in 1611

Phrases Containing deciding

Rhymes for deciding

See All Rhymes for deciding

Browse Nearby Words

decide on/upon
deciding
deciding factor
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Deciding.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/deciding. Accessed 15 Aug. 2025.

Copy Citation

Share

More from Merriam-Webster on deciding

Nglish: Translation of deciding for Spanish Speakers

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Hypercorrections: Are you making these 6 common mistakes?

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

Using Bullet Points ( • )

The Difference Between 'i.e.' and 'e.g.'
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Our Best Historical Slang Terms

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE

12 Words Whose History Will Surprise You

More Words with Remarkable Origins

Terroir, Oenophile, & Magnum: Ten Words About Wine
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Our Best Historical Slang Terms

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
image of the words cracker fly and sale arranged in a triangle with the word fire in the middle
Triple Play Quiz Find the word that pairs with each of the three g...
See All