decide on a date

Meaning

To agree upon or choose a specific day and time for an event, meeting, deadline, or launch. The preposition 'on' is crucial here, indicating that a choice has been made from several options.

Examples

• We need to decide on a date for the next team-building event.

  We need to decide on a date for the next team-building event.

• Have you and the client managed to decide on a date for the kickoff meeting?

  Have you and the client managed to decide on a date for the kickoff meeting?

• Once we decide on a date, I will send out the calendar invitations.

  Once we decide on a date, I will send out the calendar invitations.

• They are still trying to decide on a date that works for everyone's schedule.

  They are still trying to decide on a date that works for everyone's schedule.

• The board will meet tomorrow to decide on a date for the annual general meeting.

  The board will meet tomorrow to decide on a date for the annual general meeting.

Common Mistakes

• ✗ We need to decide a date for the launch.

  ✓ We need to decide on a date for the launch.

  While 'decide a date' is sometimes heard in informal speech, 'decide on a date' is the standard, grammatically correct phrasal verb structure in business English.

• ✗ Let's decide for a date next week.

  ✓ Let's decide on a date next week.

  The correct preposition to use after 'decide' when selecting an option from a group is 'on', not 'for'.

Related Expressions

Practice

• It's hard to ___ because everyone has different vacation plans.

  💡 Agree on a day for the meeting.

  Show answer

  decide on a date

• We should ___ for the project deadline before we start working.

  💡 Choose a specific day.

  Show answer

  decide on a date