decide against (someone)
To choose not to accept someone. Yes, Holly was a strong candidate, but we ultimately decided against her for the job. You lost the election. That means, the state decided against you being their governor. You decided against the CEO's daughter for the internship? Well, that decision will come back to haunt you, I'm sure.
decide against (something)
To choose not to do something. I was so tired that I decided against going out with my friends tonight. I decided against playing tonight because my ankle is still bothering me, and I don't want to make it worse. The weather was so terrible that we decided against going out to dinner as we had planned.
decide among (someone or something)
To choose someone or something from three or more options. We've had so many good candidates for the job that I'm having a very hard time deciding among them. How am I supposed to decide among so many tantalizing dessert options? They all sound delicious! There's so many places we could go for vacation that it's hard to decide among them.
decide between (someone or something)
To choose someone or something when given two options. Holly and Jack are both such good candidates for the job that I'm having a hard time deciding between them. How am I supposed to decide between tiramisu and cheesecake? They both sound delicious! We're trying to decide between the mountains and the beach for our vacation.
decide for (someone or something)
To rule favorably for someone or something. My client will almost certainly go to jail if the judge doesn't decide for him. Will the judge will decide for our company? I think we proved that we are not the ones at fault here! I can't decide for either one of you until I've heard your arguments.
decide in favor of (someone or something)
To rule favorably for someone or something. My client will almost certainly go to jail if the judge doesn't decide in favor of him. Will the judge will decide for our company? I think we proved that we are not the ones at fault here! I can't decide in favor of either one of you until I've heard your arguments.
decide on (someone or something)
To choose someone or something, usually after a period of deliberation. Yes, Holly was a strong candidate, but we ultimately decided on someone else for the job opening. After agonizing over the menu, I finally decided on mint chocolate chip ice cream. Sure, the beach is appealing, but we ultimately decided on the mountains for our vacation this year.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
decide against someone or something
to rule against someone or something; to make a judgment against someone or something. We decided against Tom and chose Larry instead. Jane decided against the supplier.
decide among (someone and someone else)
and decide among (something and something else)to choose from three or more people; to choose from three or more things. I couldn't decide among all the choices on the menu. I will decide among Fred, Tom, and Alice.
decide between (someone and someone else)
and decide between (something and something else)to choose one from two people; to choose one from two things. I could not decide between Tom and Wally. We could not decide between those two.
decide for someone or something
to rule in favor of someone or something; to make a judgment for someone or something. The jury decided for the plaintiff. The judge decided for me.
decide in favor of someone or something
to determine that someone or something is the winner. The judge decided in favor of the defendant. I decided in favor of the red one.
decide (up)on someone or something
to choose someone or something; to make a judgment about some aspect of someone or something. (Upon is formal and less commonly used than on.) Will you please hurry up and decide upon someone to vote for? I decided on chocolate.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.