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Promise vs Decision - What's the difference?

promise | decision | Related terms |

As nouns the difference between promise and decision

is that promise is an oath or affirmation; a vow while decision is a choice or judgement.

As verbs the difference between promise and decision

is that promise is to commit to something or action; to make an oath; make a vow while decision is to defeat an opponent by a decision of the judges, rather than by a knockout.

promise

English

Alternative forms

* promyse

Noun

(en noun)
  • An oath or affirmation; a vow.
  • A transaction between two persons whereby the first person undertakes in the future to render some service or gift to the second person or devotes something valuable now and here to his use.
  • * 1668 July 3rd, , “Thomas Rue contra'' Andrew Hou?toun” in ''The Deci?ions of the Lords of Council & Se??ion I (Edinburgh, 1683), pages 547–548
  • He pur?ued Andrew Hou?toun upon his promi?e , to give him the like Sallary for the next year, and in ab?ence obtained him to be holden as confe?t and Decerned.
  • Reason to expect improvement or success; potential.
  • * Washington Irving
  • My native country was full of youthful promise .
  • * {{quote-book, year=1963, author=(Margery Allingham), chapter=1
  • , title=(The China Governess) citation , passage=The original family who had begun to build a palace to rival Nonesuch had died out before they had put up little more than the gateway, so that the actual structure which had come down to posterity retained the secret magic of a promise rather than the overpowering splendour of a great architectural achievement.}}
  • (computing, programming) A placeholder object that can be manipulated in code before it has been assigned a value.
  • (obsolete) Bestowal or fulfillment of what is promised.
  • * Bible, Acts i. 4
  • He commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father.

    Verb

    (promis)
  • To commit to something or action; to make an oath; make a vow.
  • * {{quote-magazine, date=2013-06-22, volume=407, issue=8841, page=70, magazine=(The Economist)
  • , title= Engineers of a different kind , passage=Private-equity nabobs bristle at being dubbed mere financiers.
  • To give grounds for expectation, especially of something good.
  • The clouds promise rain.
  • * {{quote-book, year=1897, author=
  • , title=(The Celebrity), chapter=1 citation , passage=I liked the man for his own sake, and even had he promised to turn out a celebrity it would have had no weight with me. I look upon notoriety with the same indifference as on the buttons on a man's shirt-front, or the crest on his note-paper.}}

    Usage notes

    * This is a catenative verb that takes the to infinitive . See

    Synonyms

    *

    See also

    * (election promise)

    Statistics

    *

    decision

    English

    Noun

  • A choice or judgement.
  • * {{quote-magazine, date=2013-06-21, author= Karen McVeigh
  • , volume=189, issue=2, page=10, magazine=(The Guardian Weekly) , title= US rules human genes can't be patented , passage=The US supreme court has ruled unanimously that natural human genes cannot be patented, a decision that scientists and civil rights campaigners said removed a major barrier to patient care and medical innovation.}}
  • (uncountable) Firmness of conviction.
  • (chiefly combat sports) A result arrived at by the judges when there is no clear winner at the end of the contest.
  • (baseball) A win or a loss awarded to a pitcher.
  • Usage notes

    * (choice or judgment) Most often, to decide something is to make a decision; however, other possibilities exist as well. Many verbs used with destination or conclusion, such as reach, (term), and (term) can also be used with (term); these serve to emphasize that the decision is the result of deliberation. Finally, some varieties of English prefer to take a decision rather than make one. * See for uses and meaning of decision collocated with these words. * Adjectives often applied to "decision": important, difficult, big, tough, bad, informed, easy, personal, smart, poor, good, quick, major, strategic, wise, serious, hard, stupid, hasty, responsible, complex, prudent, deliberate, significant, collective, delayed, challenging, careful, foolish, small, rash, thoughtful, slow, clever, forced, uninformed.

    Derived terms

    * decisioning * decision making * decision tree * decision problem * decision procedure * decision theory * indecision

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • (boxing) To defeat an opponent by a decision of the judges, rather than by a knockout