to arrive at a decision
- phrasal verb
- /əˈraɪv æt ə dɪˈsɪʒən/
- Which political party should the court call to determine how public opinion is trending before arriving at a decision?
Examples
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The debates occur late in the campaign, long after the vast majority of voters have arrived at a decision.
Blog text (10) -
Whether it involves arriving at a decision that requires everyone's input or simply creating the correct climate or working conditions, punctual behavior may have a positive interpersonal effect within the work group.
Academic text (2002) -
How does one arrive at a decision?
Blog text (1) -
I'll review all these changes and try to arrive at a decision.
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Ensure that patients and clinicians arrive at a decision based on mutual understanding of this information.
Academic text (2012) -
Jack finishes his snifter and arrives at a decision.
Fiction book (2000) -
I held myself together for two days during our final campaign swing through the Midwest on January 3rd and the election that followed, but I think I had already arrived at a decision.
Fiction book (2002) -
If necessary, we call in our in-house counsel, and on a rare occasion, we consult with our outside counsel to arrive at a decision.
Blog text (30) -
The chairman and vice-chairman reiterated that the District Council Resolution (6-84-7) stipulated that the ASM consult with the medicine woman, who would determine what procedures could be used, and she had not yet arrived at a decision.
Academic text (1990) -
After discussing all the options, the team finally arrived at a decision to move forward with the project.
Synonyms
Pick one thing or person from a group
To make a choice after thinking about the options
To officially decide a dispute or question
To decide something after looking at the facts
To choose what to do after thinking about the options
Decide after thinking about the choices
To decide what to do in an important situation
To decide firmly to do something
Choose what to do after thinking about the choices
To make a final decision after thinking
To pick one thing after thinking about the choices
To make a final decision about a disagreement after hearing both sides
How Decisive
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly compositional: 'arrive' (reach) + 'at' (indicating reaching a point) + 'decision' (a choice) yields 'reach/make a decision', so a learner who knows the constituents can infer the phrase. This pattern is cross-linguistically common (e.g. Spanish 'llegar a una decisión'), supporting transparent interpretation at B1 level.
Etymology
Arrive at a decision creates a simple travel image: arrive means to reach a place, so imagine walking until you reach the place called a decision. That's why it means 'to make a choice' after thinking.