de|ceit|ful /d I siː tfʊl/ ADJ If you say that someone is deceitful , you mean that they behave in a dishonest way by making other people believe something that is not true. □ The ambassador called the report deceitful and misleading.
de|ceive /d I siː v/ (deceives , deceiving , deceived )
1 VERB If you deceive someone, you make them believe something that is not true, usually in order to get some advantage for yourself. □ [V n] He has deceived and disillusioned us all. □ [V n + into ] She deceived her father into thinking she was going to school.
2 VERB If you deceive yourself , you do not admit to yourself something that you know is true. □ [V pron-refl] Alcoholics are notorious for their ability to deceive themselves about the extent of their problem.
3 VERB If something deceives you, it gives you a wrong impression and makes you believe something that is not true. □ [V n] His gentle, kindly appearance did not deceive me.
de|cel|er|ate /diː se ləre I t/ (decelerates , decelerating , decelerated )
1 VERB When a vehicle or machine decelerates or when someone in a vehicle decelerates , the speed of the vehicle or machine is reduced. □ [V ] …the sensation of the train decelerating. ● de|cel|era|tion /diː se ləre I ʃ ə n/ N‑UNCOUNT □ The harder the brake pedal is pressed, the greater the car's deceleration.
2 VERB When the rate of something such as inflation or economic growth decelerates , it slows down. □ [V ] Inflation has decelerated remarkably over the past two years. ● de|cel|era|tion N‑UNCOUNT □ …a significant deceleration in the annual rate of growth.
De|cem|ber /d I se mbə r / (Decembers ) N‑VAR December is the twelfth and last month of the year in the Western calendar. □ …a bright morning in mid-December. □ Her baby was born on 4 December.
de|cen|cy /diː s ə nsi/
1 N‑UNCOUNT Decency is the quality of following accepted moral standards. □ His sense of decency forced him to resign.
2 PHRASE If you say that someone did not have the decency to do something, you are criticizing them because there was a particular action which they did not do but which you believe they ought to have done. [DISAPPROVAL ] □ Nobody had the decency to inform me of what was planned.
de|cent ◆◇◇ /diː s ə nt/
1 ADJ [usu ADJ n] Decent is used to describe something which is considered to be of an acceptable standard or quality. □ Nearby is a village with a decent pub. ● de|cent|ly ADV [usu ADV with v, Also ADV adj] □ The allies say they will treat their prisoners decently.
2 ADJ [usu ADJ n] Decent is used to describe something which is morally correct or acceptable. □ But, after a decent interval, trade relations began to return to normal. ● de|cent|ly ADV [usu ADV with v, Also ADV adj] □ And can't you dress more decently–people will think you're a tramp.
3 ADJ [usu ADJ n] Decent people are honest and behave in a way that most people approve of. □ The majority of people around here are decent people.
de|cen|tral|ize /diː se ntrəla I z/ (decentralizes , decentralizing , decentralized ) in BRIT, also use decentralise VERB To decentralize government or a large organization means to move some departments away from the main administrative area, or to give more power to local departments. □ [V n] They have decentralised the company and made it less bureaucratic. □ [V ] …the need to decentralize and devolve power to regional governments. ● de|cen|trali|za|tion /diː se ntrəla I ze I ʃ ə n/ N‑UNCOUNT □ …increased decentralisation and greater powers for regional authorities.
de|cep|tion /d I se pʃ ə n/ (deceptions ) N‑VAR Deception is the act of deceiving someone or the state of being deceived by someone. □ He admitted conspiring to obtain property by deception.
de|cep|tive /d I se pt I v/ ADJ If something is deceptive , it encourages you to believe something which is not true. □ Appearances can be deceptive. ● de|cep|tive|ly ADV □ The storyline is deceptively simple.
deci|bel /de s I bel/ (decibels ) N‑COUNT A decibel is a unit of measurement which is used to indicate how loud a sound is. □ Continuous exposure to sound above 80 decibels could be harmful.
de|cide ◆◆◆ /d I sa I d/ (decides , deciding , decided )
1 VERB If you decide to do something, you choose to do it, usually after you have thought carefully about the other possibilities. □ [V to-inf] She decided to do a secretarial course. □ [V that] He has decided that he doesn't want to embarrass the movement and will therefore step down. □ [V + against ] The house needed totally rebuilding, so we decided against buying it. □ [V wh] I had a cold and couldn't decide whether to go to work or not. □ [V ] Think about it very carefully before you decide. [Also V + in favour of ]
2 VERB If a person or group of people decides something, they choose what something should be like or how a particular problem should be solved. □ [V n] She was still young, he said, and that would be taken into account when deciding her sentence.
3 VERB If an event or fact decides something, it makes it certain that a particular choice will be made or that there will be a particular result. □ [V n] The goal that decided the match came just before the interval. □ [V if] The results will decide if he will win a place at a good university. □ [V -ing] Luck is certainly one deciding factor.