Meaning & use
decree
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Meanings
nouncountableformallegal
An official order issued by a ruler, government or court that must be obeyed as law.
Grammar: Usually follows by or a verb such as issue: rule by decree.
Patterns
- a decree on something
- by decree
- issue a decree
The king issued a decree banning all public gatherings.
The government ruled by decree while parliament was closed.
A new decree lowered the voting age to sixteen.
verbtransitiveformal
To order or announce something officially with the force of law, or to state firmly that something must be so.
Grammar: Often followed by that: the council decreed that the market should close. Also takes a noun object.
Patterns
- decree that something happens
- decree something
The emperor decreed that every village must build a school.
The court decreed an immediate end to the strike.
Fashion magazines decree that bright colors are in this season.
nouncountablelegal
A decision made by a court in a legal case, for example one that ends a marriage.
Grammar: Used in legal and church courts: a divorce decree.
Patterns
- a decree of something
The judge signed the decree on Friday morning.
Her divorce decree was finalized in March.
Word forms
| plural | decrees |
|---|---|
| third person singular | decrees |
| past tense | decreed |
| past participle | decreed |
| -ing form | decreeing |
Common combinations
- issue a decree
- The president issued a decree freezing prices.
- rule by decree
- The leader began to rule by decree.
- royal decree
- A royal decree opened the gates to merchants.
- presidential decree
- A presidential decree changed the national holiday.
- by decree
- The festival was abolished by decree.
- divorce decree
- You must bring the divorce decree to the office.
Synonyms and how they differ
- edict
- Edict is an older, more dramatic word for a command issued by a ruler, whereas decree is the standard word in modern law.
- order
- Order is the general word and can come from anyone, while a decree comes from a high authority.
- ruling
- Ruling is a decision made by a judge or official body on a particular question, not a general command to all.
- proclamation
- Proclamation stresses the public announcement of something, not the legal force it carries.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: decree or degree? decree or decry?
decree vs degree
Degree is an academic qualification or a unit of measurement, and it sounds similar to decree. A decree is an official order.
decree vs decry
Decry means to publicly criticize something, while decree means to officially order it.
Practice
By royal ___, all taxes on grain were abolished for one year.
Choose one answer.
By decree is the fixed phrase for something ordered officially by a ruler. Degree and decrease sound similar but do not fit the phrase.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “decree”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.