by decree
idiom
: because of an official order
He took his position by decree of the national government.
Examples of by decree in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
What would conservatives say had Alternative Universe President Harris created new agencies by decree?
—
Steven Greenhut, Orange County Register, 16 Feb. 2025
Yoon is not the first to flirt with rule by decree.
—Robert E. Kelly, Foreign Affairs, 12 Feb. 2025
Pinto noted that the president has made many of his more notable decisions by decree, including deploying the army to Ecuador’s streets to combat gangs and building a new prison for 800 of the country’s most violent criminals.
—Max Saltman, CNN, 12 Feb. 2025
Meanwhile, over at Uber and Lyft, the ride-sharing companies, geography and time do matter—but these two companies simply set prices by decree; there is no user choice or need for transparency in how the prices are determined.
—IEEE Spectrum, 20 Aug. 2015
See all Example Sentences for by decree 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Steven Greenhut, Orange County Register, 16 Feb. 2025
Yoon is not the first to flirt with rule by decree.
—Robert E. Kelly, Foreign Affairs, 12 Feb. 2025
Pinto noted that the president has made many of his more notable decisions by decree, including deploying the army to Ecuador’s streets to combat gangs and building a new prison for 800 of the country’s most violent criminals.
—Max Saltman, CNN, 12 Feb. 2025
Meanwhile, over at Uber and Lyft, the ride-sharing companies, geography and time do matter—but these two companies simply set prices by decree; there is no user choice or need for transparency in how the prices are determined.
—IEEE Spectrum, 20 Aug. 2015
See all Example Sentences for by decree
Dictionary Entries Near by decree
Cite this Entry
“By decree.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/by%20decree. Accessed 22 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share