INDEX:
1. to decide which one you want
2. to finally choose something after considering all the possibilities
3. to choose one person or thing from among a lot of similar things
4. to choose someone for a job or team
5. to choose someone or something for a particular purpose
6. the decision you make when you choose
7. something or someone that has been chosen
8. the things or people that you can choose from
9. when you are very careful about choosing things
RELATED WORDS
choose to do something : ↑ DECIDE
see also
↑ VOTE
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1. to decide which one you want
▷ choose /tʃuːz/ [intransitive/transitive verb]
to decide which one of several things or possibilities you want :
▪ I can’t decide what I want. You choose.
▪ Will you help me choose a present for Warren?
choose to do something
▪ Why do so few women choose to become engineers?
choose whether/which/when etc
▪ It took her three hours to choose which dress to wear.
choose between
choose one of two things
▪ We have to choose between doing geography or studying another language.
choose from
choose from among several things
▪ Import restrictions will reduce the number of cars buyers have to choose from.
▷ pick /pɪk/ [transitive verb] informal
to choose something, especially without thinking very carefully about it :
▪ Pick a number from one to five.
▪ Let me pick the movie tonight - I don’t want to see another comedy.
▷ select /sɪˈlekt, səˈlekt/ [transitive verb] formal
to choose something by carefully thinking about which is the best or most suitable :
▪ It’s very important that parents select the right school for a child with learning difficulties.
▪ Our wines have been carefully selected from vineyards throughout Europe.
select something from something
▪ The team’s name was selected from more than 1,700 suggestions.
▷ go for /ˈgəʊ fɔːʳ/ [transitive phrasal verb] spoken informal
to choose something because you think it is the most attractive, interesting, or enjoyable :
▪ I don’t usually go for horror movies.
▪ Whenever we eat out, she always goes for the most expensive thing on the menu.
▷ make a choice /ˌmeɪk ə ˈtʃɔɪs/ [verb phrase]
to make a decision, especially a difficult decision, about which thing to choose :
▪ I felt I was being forced to make a choice between my family and my job.
▪ It had been difficult to leave her unhappy marriage, but she had made her choice.
make the right/wrong choice
▪ Sean’s decided to study law - I hope he’s made the right choice.
▷ take your pick /ˌteɪk jɔːʳ ˈpɪk/ [verb phrase]
if someone can take their pick, they can choose exactly the thing that they want without anything limiting their choice :
▪ She showed me the box of kittens and told me I could take my pick.
▪ With so many houses for sale, buyers with cash can take their pick.
take your pick of
▪ The program’s top graduate took her pick of five job offers.
2. to finally choose something after considering all the possibilities
▷ decide on /dɪˈsaɪd ɒn/ [transitive phrasal verb]
to finally choose something, especially when making the decision has been difficult or has taken a long time :
▪ Have you decided on a name for the baby yet?
▪ We couldn’t decide on a new color for the kitchen, so we left it white.
▷ settle on /ˈsetl ɒn/ [transitive phrasal verb]
if someone, especially a group of people, settles on something, they finally agree to choose that thing after considering all the possibilities, discussing it etc :
▪ Hiroaki wanted white and I wanted black, so we settled on grey.
▪ Can we at least settle on a date for our next meeting?
▪ We finally settled on Miami as the site of our next conference.
▷ plump for /ˈplʌmp fɔːʳ/ [transitive phrasal verb not in passive] British informal
to choose one of two or more things after thinking carefully about it, especially if you have had difficulty in deciding :
▪ They thought of going to Madeira or mainland Spain, but finally plumped for the Canary Islands.
▪ She looked at every sweater in the shop before plumping for a red mohair one.
▷ opt /ɒptǁɑːpt/ [intransitive verb]
to choose something after thinking carefully about all the possibilities :
opt for
▪ After college, Ruffin opted for the Army over college.
opt to do something
▪ When her parents divorced, Mary Ann opted to live with her father.
3. to choose one person or thing from among a lot of similar things
▷ single out /ˌsɪŋg ə l ˈaʊt/ [transitive phrasal verb]
to choose someone or something from among a group of similar people or things, especially in order to praise them or criticize them :
single out somebody/something
▪ Could you single out one factor that is more important than the others?
single somebody/something out
▪ His teacher was always singling him out, calling on him when his hand wasn’t even raised.
single somebody/something out for something
▪ Captain Withers was singled out for special mention and was awarded the Military Cross.
▷ pick out /ˌpɪk ˈaʊt/ [transitive phrasal verb]
to consider a group of similar people or things and to choose the one that you like most :
pick out somebody/something
▪ He looked through the tourist guide and picked out a few exhibitions to see while he was in town.
pick somebody/something out
▪ The editor looked through the file, picking the best models out for the fashion shoot.
4. to choose someone for a job or team
▷ choose /tʃuːz/ [transitive verb]
to decide who is the best person for a job, team, prize etc :
▪ Companies are now using computers to help them choose new workers.
choose somebody as something
▪ The board has unanimously chosen Cole as Gray’s temporary replacement.
choose somebody to do something
▪ Eventually, Jane was chosen to deliver the message.
▷ select /sɪˈlekt, səˈlekt/ [transitive verb] formal
to choose someone for a particular job, team, place at school etc, after considering a lot of different people who might be suitable :
▪ The college selects only twelve students a year from the thousands who apply.
select somebody for something
▪ We selected four applicants for interview.
select somebody to do something
▪ Ernst had been selected to play in the game against Belgium.
▷ appoint /əˈpɔɪnt/ [transitive verb]
to officially choose someone to do an important job :
▪ The company has appointed a new sales director.
appoint somebody to something
▪ Simpson has been appointed to the Memphis Branch board for a three-year term.
appoint somebody as something
▪ They have appointed Jane Staller as their new East Coast manager.
appoint somebody to do something
▪ A committee was appointed to consider changes to the Prison Service.
▷ pick /pɪk/ [transitive verb]
to choose someone for a sports team or an important job :
▪ The class was divided into four teams, and each group was asked to pick a leader.
pick somebody to do something
▪ Joe picked Steve and Terry to be on his team.
pick somebody for something
▪ Do you think he might pick another woman for the Supreme Court?
▷ name /neɪm/ [transitive verb]
to publicly say who has been chosen for an important job in an organization :
▪ The editor of ‘The Times’ has resigned amid a political storm. His successor has not yet been named.
name somebody to something
▪ McCarthy was recently named to the Small Business Committee.
name somebody as something
▪ The magazine has named Bonnie Fuller as deputy editor.
name somebody something
▪ We are naming Dr Bob McClure head of the IRC in China.
▷ nominate /ˈnɒmɪneɪt, ˈnɒməneɪtǁˈnɑː-/ [transitive verb]
if someone, especially a group of people, nominates someone, they officially choose that person to be considered for a particular job :
nominate somebody to something
▪ Mills is expected to be formally nominated to the board next month.
nominate somebody to do something
▪ Lee was the first Chinese American nominated to head the Civil Rights Division.
nominate somebody as something
▪ They nominated her as the British spokesperson at the International Arms Conference.
▷ be shortlisted /biː ˈʃɔːʳtlɪstə̇d/ British /be on the short list /biː ɒn ðə ˈʃɔːʳt lɪst/ [verb phrase]
if you are shortlisted or on the short list for a job or a position, you are one of a small group of people who have been chosen from other people who want the job, and from that small group one person will be chosen :
▪ Three applicants have been shortlisted and will be invited for interview next week.
be shortlisted for
▪ He’s been on the President’s short list for the job twice.
▷ tap /tæp/ [transitive verb] American
to officially choose someone for an important job :
tap somebody for something
▪ Reinhardt was tapped for the federal bench in 1980 by former President Carter.
5. to choose someone or something for a particular purpose
▷ choose /tʃuːz/ [transitive verb]
▪ A committee will be selected to choose the new leader.
choose somebody/something as something
▪ Seattle has been chosen as the venue for next year’s conference.
choose somebody/something for something
▪ Many of the industries chosen for government investment have in fact already gone bankrupt.
choose somebody/something to do something
▪ The fabric that she chose to be made into a dress is a combination of silk and cotton.
6. the decision you make when you choose
▷ choice /tʃɔɪs/ [countable/uncountable noun]
▪ It was a difficult choice, but we finally decided that Hannah should have the prize.
▪ The board denied that financial considerations had influenced their choice.
▪ Patients are demanding greater choice in the type of treatment they get.
freedom of choice
when you can choose for yourself
▪ I don’t believe in fate - we all have freedom of choice.
by choice
without being influenced by other people
▪ He says he lives on the street by choice.
7. something or someone that has been chosen
▷ choice /tʃɔɪs/ [singular noun]
something or someone that has been chosen :
▪ Maria was very pleased with her choice.
first/second/third choice
the thing you wanted most, the thing you wanted most after that etc
▪ Greece was our first choice for a vacation, but all the flights were full.
somebody’s choice of
▪ I don’t like his choice of friends.
▷ selection /sɪˈlekʃ ə n, səˈlekʃ ə n/ [countable noun usually singular]
a small group of the best things that have been chosen from a larger group :
selection of
▪ She showed me a selection of her drawings.
▪ a selection of songs from ‘West Side Story’
▷ chosen /ˈtʃəʊz ə n/ [adjective only before noun]
use this about the person or thing that has been chosen :
▪ I want my children to be successful in their chosen careers.
▪ You have two minutes to answer questions on your chosen subject.
well-chosen
carefully and successfully chosen
▪ The flavorful vegetables require only melted butter and some well-chosen herbs.
▷ selected /sɪˈlektəd, səˈlektəd/ [adjective only before noun]
carefully chosen from a larger group, usually for a particular purpose :
▪ There is a discount of 10% off selected items in this store.
▪ The book is a collection of selected essays by D.H.Lawrence.
specially/carefully selected
▪ A small and carefully selected group of friends has been invited to the wedding.
▷ handpicked/hand-picked /ˌhændˈpɪkt◂/ [adjective]
people who are hand-picked have been specially chosen by someone because they are the best or most suitable people for a particular job, position etc :
▪ The school is staffed with handpicked educators and psychiatric specialists.
▪ With a small, hand-picked squad of ex-paratroopers, Collins managed to get through the defences.
▷ of your choice /əv jɔːʳ ˈtʃɔɪs/ [adjective phrase]
something of your choice has been chosen by you, with nothing limiting which one you choose :
▪ The magician told her to hold up three cards of her choice.
▪ You could win a fabulous weekend break at a luxurious hotel of your choice.
8. the things or people that you can choose from
▷ choice /tʃɔɪs/ [singular/uncountable noun]
choice of
▪ The school seems OK, but there isn’t a great choice of courses.
have a choice
be able to choose from several things
▪ With her high grades and athletic skill, Celeste had her choice of colleges.
have no choice but to do something
to be forced to do something because there is nothing else you can choose
▪ Spooner says he had no choice but to file for bankruptcy.
wide choice
a lot of things to choose from
▪ There is a wide choice of hotels and hostels in the town.
▷ option /ˈɒpʃ ə nǁˈɑːp-/ [countable noun]
one of the things that you can choose to do in a particular situation :
▪ He basically has two options: he can have the surgery, or he can give up playing football.
keep/leave your options open
delay choosing so that you continue to have several things to choose from
▪ I haven’t signed any contracts yet - I want to keep my options open.
▷ alternative /ɔːlˈtɜːʳnətɪvǁɔːl-, æl-/ [countable noun]
one of two or more ways of doing something :
▪ Did you consider other alternatives before you moved in with Lucy?
alternative to
▪ There is no practical alternative to our current policy.
have no alternative
to not have a choice
▪ He says he doesn’t want to see a doctor, but I’m afraid he has no alternative.
▷ selection /sɪˈlekʃ ə n, səˈlekʃ ə n/ [singular noun]
a lot of things of a similar type for you to choose from, especially in a shop :
selection of
▪ A wonderful selection of cakes and pastries was displayed in the window.
wide/large selection
▪ The restaurant offers a wide selection of local dishes.
▷ to choose from /tə ˈtʃuːz frɒm/ [adjective phrase]
if there is a particular range of things or people to choose from, you can choose what you want from that range :
▪ There are a lot of good restaurants downtown to choose from.
▪ Portland has so many theaters to choose from.
9. when you are very careful about choosing things
▷ choosy /ˈtʃuːzi/ [adjective] informal
someone who is choosy chooses things carefully and only wants the things they think are the best :
▪ I get offered a lot of work now, so I can be more choosy.
choosy about
▪ She’s very choosy about what airline she travels on.
▷ fussy/picky /ˈfʌsi, ˈpɪki/ [adjective] informal
someone who is fussy or picky is difficult to please because they only like a few things and will only accept exactly what they want :
▪ Maybe I’m too picky, but all the guys I meet seem so boring.
fussy/picky about
▪ She was always very fussy about her clothes.
picky/fussy eater
someone who will only eat the few things they like
▪ We’re not really picky eaters, but we don’t eat much fast food.
▷ be particular about /biː pəʳˈtɪkɑlər əbaʊt something/ [verb phrase]
to be very careful about choosing only the very best of something, or only exactly what you like, usually with the result that people think you are too careful about it :
be particular about about
▪ He’s very particular about the clothes he buys.
be particular about what/where etc
▪ Monica is particular about what she eats - no meat, and only organic vegetables.
▷ selective /sɪˈlektɪv, səˈlektɪv/ [adjective]
someone who is selective chooses things very carefully because they want to choose the best, most suitable etc :
▪ You’ve got to be very selective when choosing a roommate.
selective about
▪ People are becoming more and more selective about the food they eat these days.
▷ shop around /ˌʃɒp əˈraʊndǁˌʃɑːp-/ [intransitive phrasal verb] informal
to look at or try several different possibilities before choosing the one which is the best, cheapest etc :
▪ Never buy the first car you see. Always shop around.
▪ Shop around a little bit before you choose a therapist.
shop around for
▪ You should shop around for a better price.