Synonyms

choose

American

[chooz] / tʃuz /

verb (used with object)

chose, chosen, chose, choosing

to select from a number of possibilities; pick by preference.

She chose Sunday for her departure.
to prefer or decide (to do something).

He chose to run for election.
to want; desire.

I choose moving to the city.
(especially in children's games) to contend with (an opponent) to decide, as by odd or even, who will do something.

I'll choose you to see who gets to bat first.

verb (used without object)

chose, chosen, chose, choosing

to make a choice, or select from two or more possibilities.

Accepted by several colleges, the boy chose carefully.
to be inclined.

You may stay here, if you choose.
(especially in children's games) to decide, as by means of odd or even, who will do something.

Let's choose to see who bats first.

verb phrase

choose up
1. to select (players) for a contest or game.
  
  The kids chose up sides for the game.
2. to select players for a contest or game.
  
  We have to choose up before we can play.

idioms

cannot choose but, cannot do otherwise than; is or are obliged to.

He cannot choose but obey.

choose British

/ tʃuːz /

verb

to select (a person, thing, course of action, etc) from a number of alternatives
(tr; takes a clause as object or an infinitive) to consider it desirable or proper

I don't choose to read that book
(intr) to like; please

you may stand if you choose
to be obliged to

we cannot choose but vote for him
(of two people or objects) almost equal

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

choose More Idioms

More idioms and phrases containing choose

Related Words

Choose, select, pick, elect, prefer indicate a decision that one or more possibilities are to be regarded more highly than others. Choose suggests a decision on one of a number of possibilities because of its apparent superiority: to choose a course of action. Select suggests a choice made for fitness: to select the proper golf club. Pick, an informal word, suggests a selection on personal grounds: to pick a winner. The formal word elect suggests a kind of official action: to elect a representative. Prefer, also formal, emphasizes the desire or liking for one thing more than for another or others: to prefer coffee to tea.

Other Word Forms

choosable adjective
chooser noun
prechoose verb (used with object)
rechoose verb
unchoosable adjective

Etymology

Origin of choose

First recorded before 1000; Middle English chosen, chēsen, Old English cēosan; cognate with Gothic kiusan, Old High German kiosan ( German kiesen ); akin to Greek geúesthai “to enjoy,” Latin gustāre “to taste” ( gusto )

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Feeling like this milestone was within reach, only to have it slip away because of the pressure you’re being put under to choose another property, is devastating.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 3, 2026

To test this idea, Zhou designed a task where mice had to choose between two levers to receive a reward.

From Science Daily • Apr. 3, 2026

The justices could choose to focus on a 1952 law passed by Congress that codified birthright citizenship and not wade into the larger constitutional debate, said Stephen Yale-Loehr, an immigration law expert.

From BBC • Apr. 1, 2026

No one knows which course Syria under Ahmed al-Sharaa will choose, but for the first time in a half-century its government appears to want amicable relations with the U.S. and Israel.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 2026

And if I choose the latter, what does that mean for me?

From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023