make up one's mind

verb

To decide; to reach a conclusion.

“I can't make up my mind whether to have ice cream or cake.”

Similar
judgemake a decisionchoose updecidedetermineresolvefindposken
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Meanings

verbmake up one's mind (third-person singular simple present makes up one's mind, present participle making up one's mind, simple past and past participle made up one's mind)

present singular third person makes up one's mind · participle present making up one's mind · participle past made up one's mind · past made up one's mind

  1. idiomaticTo decide; to reach a conclusion.

    I can't make up my mind whether to have ice cream or cake.

    3 more examples

    "I was dragged up at the workhouse school till I was twelve. Then I ran away and sold papers in the streets, and anything else that I could pick up a few coppers by—except steal. I never did that. I always made up my mind I'd be a big man some day, and—I'm glad I didn't steal."

    1909 September 9, Archibald Marshall [pseudonym; Arthur Hammond Marshall], chapter II, in The Squire’s Daughter, London: Methuen & Co. […], →OCLC

    One day child, I won't have to listen to your lies / On that day, I'll be able to make up my own mind / You know, I think I done finally realized / And now I think I can put you out of my life

    1974, Ohio Players, “I Want To Be Free”, in Fire

    By that time, Labour had made up its mind.

    2025 February 19, Paul Clifton, “I am absolutely committed to reforming the railway”, in RAIL, number 1029, page 41

    Synonyms: judge, make a decision, choose up, decide, determine, resolve, find, judge

Synonyms & antonyms

verbTo decide; to reach a conclusion.

Similar
judgemake a decisionchoose updecidedetermineresolvefindjudgeposkenmake a decisiontake a decisionwork out

More synonyms by meaning

verbreach, make, or come to a decision about something

Similar
decidedetermine
Broader
thinkcogitatecerebrate
Also see
choose updecidedeterminefindjudgemake a decisionposkenwork out

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Translations

Arabic وَطَّنَ نَفْسَهُ عَلَى, عَزَمَ
  • وَطَّنَ نَفْسَهُ عَلَى (waṭṭana nafsahu ʕalā)to decide, to reach a conclusion
  • عَزَمَ (ʕazama)to decide, to reach a conclusion
  • قَرَّرَ (qarrara)to decide, to reach a conclusion
  • صَمَّمَ (ṣammama)to decide, to reach a conclusion
  • حسم أمرهto decide, to reach a conclusion
  • اختارto decide, to reach a conclusion
Bengali ঠিক করা
  • ঠিক করা (ṭhik kora)to decide, to reach a conclusion
Chinese Mandarin 決定 /决定, 決心 /决心
  • 決定 /决定 (juédìng)to decide, to reach a conclusion
  • 決心 /决心 (juéxīn)to decide, to reach a conclusion
Dutch tot een besluit komen, een keuze maken
  • tot een besluit komento decide, to reach a conclusion
  • een keuze makento decide, to reach a conclusion
Finnish päättää
  • päättääto decide, to reach a conclusion
French se décider, décider
  • se déciderto decide, to reach a conclusion
  • déciderto decide, to reach a conclusion
German sich entscheiden, beschließen
  • sich entscheidento decide, to reach a conclusion
  • beschließento decide, to reach a conclusion
Hebrew הֶחְלִיט
  • הֶחְלִיט (hekhlít)to decide, to reach a conclusion
Hungarian dönt, elszánja magát
  • döntto decide, to reach a conclusion
  • elszánja magátto decide, to reach a conclusion
  • határozto decide, to reach a conclusion
  • elhatározza magátto decide, to reach a conclusion
Icelandic ákveða sig
  • ákveða sigto decide, to reach a conclusion
Irish socraigh
  • socraighto decide, to reach a conclusion
Italian decidersi
  • decidersito decide, to reach a conclusion
Japanese 決心する, 決める
  • 決心する (kesshin suru)to decide, to reach a conclusion
  • 決める (kimeru)to decide, to reach a conclusion
  • 決定する (kettei suru)to decide, to reach a conclusion
Korean 결심하다, 결정하다
  • 결심하다 (gyeolsimhada)to decide, to reach a conclusion
  • 결정하다 (gyeoljeonghada)to decide, to reach a conclusion
  • 정하다 (jeonghada)to decide, to reach a conclusion
Norwegian Bokmål bestemme seg
  • bestemme segto decide, to reach a conclusion
Polish decydować, zdecydować
  • decydowaćto decide, to reach a conclusion
  • zdecydowaćto decide, to reach a conclusion
Portuguese decidir-se, escolher
  • decidir-seto decide, to reach a conclusion
  • escolherto decide, to reach a conclusion
  • chegar a uma conclusãoto decide, to reach a conclusion
Russian реша́ться, реши́ться
  • реша́ться (rešátʹsja)to decide, to reach a conclusion
  • реши́ться (rešítʹsja)to decide, to reach a conclusion
  • реша́ть (rešátʹ)to decide, to reach a conclusion
  • реши́ть (rešítʹ)to decide, to reach a conclusion
Spanish decidirse, definirse
  • decidirseto decide, to reach a conclusion
  • definirseto decide, to reach a conclusion
  • tomar una decisiónto decide, to reach a conclusion
Swedish bestämma sig
  • bestämma sigto decide, to reach a conclusion
Thai ตัดสินใจ
  • ตัดสินใจ (dtàt-sǐn-jai)to decide, to reach a conclusion
Turkish karar vermek
  • karar vermekto decide, to reach a conclusion
Ukrainian вирі́шувати, ви́рішити
  • вирі́шувати (vyríšuvaty)to decide, to reach a conclusion
  • ви́рішити (výrišyty)to decide, to reach a conclusion
Cite this entry
APA

make up one's mind. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/make%20up%20one's%20mind

MLA

“make up one's mind.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/make%20up%20one's%20mind. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “make up one's mind,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/make%20up%20one's%20mind.

Source: make up one's mind on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.