Decide Doing vs. Decide To Do
For a decision to perform an action, standard references use “decide to do.” Gerunds occur in other constructions such as “decide against doing,” where the preposition—not “decide” alone—licenses the -ing form.
Use “decide to do” for choosing an action. An -ing form can occur after a preposition, as in “decide against doing,” but bare “decide doing” is not the equivalent pattern.
Key details
Choose the right form
| Meaning / situation | Form / construction | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| a person chooses to perform an action | decide to do | Use the to-infinitive. |
| a preposition such as “against” introduces the action | decide against doing | The preposition licenses the -ing form. |
| bare “decide doing” is proposed as the same complement | avoid it | It is not the reviewed direct complement for choosing an action. |
Quick tests
Meaning / construction test
Does “decide” directly introduce the action that was chosen?
If yes: Use “decide to do.”
If no: If a preposition such as “against” comes between “decide” and the action, an -ing form may be appropriate.
Caveat: Choose by the documented meaning or construction; a different pattern may be valid in a different sentence structure or variety.
Examples
We decided to postpone the meeting.
The chosen action follows “decide” as a to-infinitive.
They decided against extending the deadline.
The -ing form follows the preposition “against.”
She decided to wait for more information.
The direct action complement uses “to wait.”
Further guidance
Decision
Choose the construction by meaning: decide to do for the selected action, or an appropriate prepositional pattern for alternatives such as deciding against an action.
Ing Boundary
An -ing form is natural after a preposition in constructions such as decide against doing; that does not make bare decide + -ing a standard alternative.
To Infinitive
Use decide + to-infinitive when the subject chooses to perform an action.
Sources and evidence
Sources are shown with the role they play in this guide. Historical or style-sensitive claims are kept within the evidence boundary described above.
- decide — Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary (opens in a new tab)Oxford Learner’s Dictionaries · Decide with to-infinitive and decide-against patterns
- Verb patterns: verb + infinitive or verb + -ing? (opens in a new tab)Cambridge Dictionary · Verb-complement patterns, including verbs taking -ing, to-infinitive, or both with meaning differences