discretiondi‧scre‧tion /dɪˈskreʃən/ ●○○ AWL noun [uncountable] 
The awards are made at the discretion of the committee. Promotions are left to the discretion of the supervisor.discretion over/as to People want to have more discretion over their working hours.use/exercise your discretion The judge exercised his discretion rightly to admit the evidence.discretion to do something The committee has the absolute discretion to refuse applications.2the ability to deal with situations in a way that does not offend, upset, or embarrass people or tell any of their secrets: British newspapers no longer feel they must treat the royal family with discretion.3discretion is the better part of valour used to say that it is better to be careful than to take unnecessary risks
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- Absolute discretion is required from everyone working for the Royal Family.
- Can junior managers be trusted to exercise discretion when making decisions?
- I leave it to your discretion as to whether you should tell your colleagues.
- The hotel has built a reputation on its discretion for the past 25 years.
- TV commentators have shown great discretion, glossing over the problems in her personal life.
- You can tell Martin anything -- he's the very soul of discretion.
- It concerns the whole matter of judicial control over ministerial discretion.
- Kasich said children might better be served through streamlining Medicaid and giving governors more discretion on coverage.
- Latecomers are admitted at the discretion of the manager.
- So the court has full discretion over litigation costs incurred in proceedings between mortgagor and mortgagee.
- The governors will often give the chairman discretion to act on their behalf.
- The president could use his constitutional powers to move troops about at his discretion.
THESAURUScarefulness
if you do something with care, you are careful to avoid damage, mistakes etc: · She put the needle in with great care.· Everyone should take care in the sun.
care to avoid danger or risks, or care about trusting information that might not be true: · Her evidence should be treated with caution.· There was a certain lack of caution among investors.
a sensible and careful attitude that makes you avoid unnecessary risks – a rather formal use: · Banks should show more prudence in lending money.
careful attention to what is happening, so that you will notice any danger or illegal activity: · Governments from across the world have called for greater vigilance against Internet-based crime.· There is a need for constant vigilance to protect vulnerable people.
careful attention and consideration shown to something, to avoid danger or risks – used especially when someone fails to do this: · The court heard that the company had shown no regard for the safety of its employees.· These men are cold-blooded killers and have little regard for human life.
care not to say anything that might offend or upset someone: · He handled the matter with a great deal of tact.
care to deal with situations in a way that does not embarrass, upset or offend people, especially by not telling any of their secrets: · Any confidential information was treated with discretion.
Longman Language Activatorto not tell other people about a secret to not tell someone about something: · I told you not to tell anyone!· 'Who's that letter from?' 'I'm not telling you.'not tell somebody what/how/why etc: · Henry wouldn't tell me what the surprise was.· Penny laughed, but she wouldn't tell me why.not tell about: · Vinny didn't tell the police about his visit to Mahoney's apartment.· You'd better not tell Elizabeth about this.not tell of: · Margaret had not yet told her sons of her planned engagement.not tell (that): · Carl felt I'd been deceiving him all these years by not telling him I was gay.without telling somebody: · I was annoyed that he'd left without telling me.
to not tell other people something, because you want it to remain secret: · They wanted to keep their relationship secret for as long as possible.· The graves were covered up in a deliberate attempt to keep the killings secret.· So you've been keeping it secret all this time?keep sth secret from: · Mary kept her illness secret, even from family members.
someone who can keep a secret will not tell your secrets to other people, so you can trust them with secret information: · Can you keep a secret?· 'Can I trust you?' 'I'm honest, and I can keep a secret'.
to deliberately not talk about something in public, especially something you are ashamed or embarrassed about: · Parotti had threatened to expose the illegal arrangements unless he was paid $50,000 to keep quiet. · Some people disagree with what the government is doing, but they keep quiet for fear of reprisals.keep quiet about: · We used to keep quiet about some of the things that went on in the prison.keep quiet over: · I think they should have kept quiet over that.keep something quiet (=keep something secret): · The minister denied that the case had been kept quiet or hidden.keep somebody quiet (=do something to stop someone telling a secret): · She'd been brutally murdered to keep her quiet.
to deliberately not tell someone about something, especially because you think they would be upset if they knew the truth: · Edward never told anyone about his illness. He even tried to keep it from his wife.· The president has a reputation for keeping key decisions from even his closest aides.· She tried in every way to keep the truth from her parents.
to not allow people to know about something that has been officially planned or decided: be kept under wraps: · It's been suggested the report was kept under wraps to avoid controversy.· Ford's new range of cars is being kept firmly under wraps until the Geneva auto show.
the ability to judge when you should or should not tell people things that you know about someone or something: · Absolute discretion is required from everyone working for the Royal Family.leave something to somebody's discretion: · I leave it to your discretion as to whether you should tell your colleagues.show/exercise discretion: · TV commentators have shown great discretion, glossing over the problems in her personal life. · Can junior managers be trusted to exercise discretion when making decisions?be the (very) soul of discretion (=be the sort of person who will never tell something that should be kept secret): · You can tell Martin anything -- he's the very soul of discretion.
when what someone does or says is kept very secret, so that only a few people know about it: · There is a great deal of secrecy within the organization.· Why all the secrecy? You've got nothing to be ashamed of.utmost secrecy: · Our commanding officer emphasized the need to maintain the utmost secrecy about the operation at all times.swear somebody to secrecy (=make someone promise that they will not tell other people a secret): · Anna swore me to secrecy on the subject of her family until her book came out.a veil/shroud/cloak of secrecy: · The gunmen tracked down their target, despite the shroud of secrecy surrounding his whereabouts.
the trust that exists between people who share secrets, especially between a professional person such as a doctor or lawyer and someone who gives them private advice: · Alexander declined to comment, citing attorney--client confidentiality.· Researchers should always be able to guarantee complete confidentiality for their subjects.· Data encryption ensures the privacy and confidentiality of email messages.breach/violate confidentiality (=to break confidentiality by telling someone a secret): · The health clinic has again been caught violating patient confidentiality.breach of confidentiality: · You doctor should not have told your parents about the abortion -- that was a blatant breach of confidentiality.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY Promotions are left to the discretion of the supervisor. The judge exercised his discretion rightly to admit the evidence.COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADJECTIVE
1the ability and right to decide exactly what should be done in a particular situationat somebody’s discretion (=according to someone’s decision) Promotions are left to the discretion of the supervisor. The judge exercised his discretion rightly to admit the evidence.· Secure file. Absolute discretion required.· The correction official possessed almost absolute discretion over the parole decision.· Cancellation by us may be necessary in exceptional circumstances and we reserve the right in our absolute discretion to cancel your holiday.· The Council of the Research Defence Society reserves absolute discretion as to who shall be elected to membership.
· The latitude for administrative discretion in individual cases surely encouraged rather than checked official corruption.· And even then, the content and boundaries of the offensive behaviour are matters of administrative discretion.· The judgments in notorious cases which had decided that there could be unfettered administrative discretion were repudiated.· Legislative mandate and legal offence are linked by an unguided and pervasive administrative discretion.
· Where business executives are concerned, employers tend to have considerable discretion in the way that they implement redundancies.· The test of benefit of a class leaves the courts considerable discretion as to how to define the class.· Although local authorities have considerable discretion in staffing matters, some officers must statutorily be appointed.· Many policies are not based on rule books and central government allows considerable discretion to the local state.· However, the courts possess considerable discretion as to whether to utilise this armoury.· The authority has considerable discretion in this matter.· We have already noted that agents are often given considerable discretion by lenders.· The tribunal will also have considerable discretion in deciding whether or not the reasons given are adequate.
· It is felt that it leaves the police too great a discretion as to what type of conduct is unacceptable.· This greater discretion was also evident in the establishment of the administrative and decisionmaking process.· With great discretion, the overcoats in the front pews blew their noses.· Tax-exempt financing provided the local government development official with a great deal of discretion.· With great discretion, Laurence Evenden released the excess gas pressure in his duodenum.· With great discretion, Dyson yawned, straining his muscles to keep his mouth shut at the same time.· Further he comments that the male has the greater discretion of reason.· General authority gives the subordinate greater discretion and flexibility.
· How far judicial discretion on sentencing should be directed by Government policy is problematic.· Since each matrimonial property or custody dispute is to be decided according to judicial discretion the result is that litigation abounds.· A judicial discretion is the essence of real justice.· The rent awarded by the court under s24A may be considerably tempered by judicial discretion.
· Where the implementation of such strategic highs is in question the centre will limit the action space around interpretability and local discretion.· Suggests that some recommendations are over-prescriptive and that more local discretion would be preferable.· Case studies also reveal evidence of local discretion in other respects.· The government has moved beyond exhortation to compulsion and thus removed yet another strand of local discretion.· The latter is in some cases subject to statutory regulation, in others it is a matter of local discretion.
· It was argued on behalf of the Minister that the legislation gave him an unfettered discretion as to whether to refer or not.· This is clearly a virtually unfettered discretion.· The judgments in notorious cases which had decided that there could be unfettered administrative discretion were repudiated.
· This passage is somewhat unsatisfactory in its lack of certainty and in the wide discretion it appears to leave to the courts.· Such an approach appears to give schools and judges wide discretion to determine what is reasonable and what are legitimate educational concerns.· This very wide discretion the judge may exercise in different ways in different cases or in different types of cases.· Business units will then have wide discretion concerning how they structure themselves and operate to obtain the desired results.· Store managers have a wide discretion to select what clothing, shoes and accessories their stores sell, based on local preferences.· It will be appreciated that this rule gives the registrar a wide discretion.· In assessing compensation, a tribunal has wide discretion.· Such a wide discretion must be exercised fairly if it is to comply with the requirements of natural justice.
VERB· It may be too bound by rules and not allow individuals to exercise discretion within their work. 5.· Instead, each airline was to be allowed to use its discretion as to frequency and capacity within reasonable grounds.· Many policies are not based on rule books and central government allows considerable discretion to the local state.· I do allow a slight discretion in these matters.· But under the present system he is not allowed any discretion.· Any organisation will have a mixture of formal and informal rules and will allow discretion.· The next sixty years were to see a rise in the classroom autonomy of teachers allowing them growing discretion within their classrooms.
· After a while, deciding that discretion was preferable, they moved off some distance into the desert parallel to the road.· Having seen his ally overwhelmed in this startling fashion, Count Vulgrin decided that discretion was the better part of valour.· Since each matrimonial property or custody dispute is to be decided according to judicial discretion the result is that litigation abounds.
· With discretion, employers determined not to employ Catholics can continue to discriminate because of the weaknesses in the Act.· Such an approach appears to give schools and judges wide discretion to determine what is reasonable and what are legitimate educational concerns.· The Commission also has significant discretion to determine which crimes have been punished too leniently, and which too severely.
· He therefore failed to exercise at all the statutory discretion.· In his view the whole of s.3 is concerned with the matters to be considered when the court exercises its discretion.· This means that the Tribunal has to ask whether the Minister acted reasonably in exercising his discretion to grant a warrant.· For example, the social worker exercises discretion in individual case work.· The Divisional Court concluded that Mr Bartle exercised his discretion without flaw.· Examples might include complaints about excessive delay, errors, discourtesy or the way in which the Revenue has exercised discretion.· But he said the Department of Transport had exercised its discretion on whether to buy the property.· If this is not done, the court may exercise its discretion not to sanction the scheme.
· General authority gives the subordinate greater discretion and flexibility.· But if there is a special condition, the trustee could be given more discretion.· It was argued on behalf of the Minister that the legislation gave him an unfettered discretion as to whether to refer or not.· Kasich said children might better be served through streamlining Medicaid and giving governors more discretion on coverage.· We have already noted that agents are often given considerable discretion by lenders.· Alexander was startled at having been given so much discretion at this critical moment in the battle.· S 91 of the Law of Property Act 1925 gives the Court discretion to order the sale of a mortgaged property.· The governors will often give the chairman discretion to act on their behalf.
· It leaves less to the discretion of the court and has decided on a maximum sentence of just five years.· I leave it to your discretion whether you should tell the Professors that they are 114 both wrong, or both right.· The test of benefit of a class leaves the courts considerable discretion as to how to define the class.· The mechanical following of rules would leave little scope for discretion to be exercised.· It may be like a questionnaire, leaving the interviewer no discretion as to how to ask the questions or in what order.· Gratuities to your driver and escort which are left to your discretion.· They can safely be left to the discretion of the judge.· In effect, the question of calculating the multiplier is left to the discretion and experience of the judges.
· Densan tended initially to limit managerial discretion much more and thus seemed to offer a better alternative for labour.
· But the possibility of them convinces me that his discretion to refuse is not absolute or unfettered.
· In addition, modern legislation often requires official discretion to be exercised before final decisions are made.
· Under the community charge, they retained that discretion.· The appropriate minister retains complete discretion whether or not to refer a merger to the Commission, and whether or not to accept any recommendation.
· Instead, each airline was to be allowed to use its discretion as to frequency and capacity within reasonable grounds.· They were now to be trusted to use their own discretion.· In all cases, we reserve the right to use our discretion in offering students any particular style or type of accommodation.· Health authorities would be encouraged, he said, to use discretion to ensure medical care is free.· Sonia's deportation was only reversed because the Home Secretary used his discretion to consider the compassionate circumstances of her case.· Inspect carefully using discretion as to how far to proceed. 3.· Mr. Lloyd Section 39 is available for the police to use at their discretion.
The awards are made at the discretion of the committee. Promotions are left to the discretion of the supervisor.discretion over/as to People want to have more discretion over their working hours.use/exercise your discretion The judge exercised his discretion rightly to admit the evidence.discretion to do something The committee has the absolute discretion to refuse applications.2the ability to deal with situations in a way that does not offend, upset, or embarrass people or tell any of their secrets: British newspapers no longer feel they must treat the royal family with discretion.3discretion is the better part of valour used to say that it is better to be careful than to take unnecessary risks