noun, verb ·2 syllables ·Common ·High school level

Definitions

Noun

1. 1
   An edict or law.

   "There went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed."

2. 2
   a legally binding command or decision entered on the court record (as if issued by a court or judge) wordnet
3. 3
   The judicial decision in a litigated cause rendered by a court of equity.
4. 4
   The determination of a cause in a court of admiralty or court of probate.
5. 5
   A predetermination made by God; an act of providence.

Verb

1. 1
   To command by a decree.

   "A court decrees a restoration of property."

2. 2
   decide with authority wordnet
3. 3
   issue a decree wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms

edictedictrulejudgeactact on

Example

More examples

"I need to escape from this decree."

Etymology

From Middle English decre, decree, from Old French decré (French décret), from Latin dēcrētum.

Related phrases

consent decreedecree absolutedecree arbitraldecree nisidecree timefinal decreeimperial decreecourt of equitydivorce finalkings declaration

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.