by choice

Idioms

Deliberately, as a matter of preference. For example, No one told me to come; I'm here by choice. This expression replaced the earlier with choice, used from about 1500.

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.

Kavanagh, 78, is a New Englander by birth and Californian by choice.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 5, 2026

Some marry by choice to send money back to their families or to plot an eventual escape.

From BBC • Mar. 27, 2026

Nada Reda Abu Sari, 82, however, has not stayed by choice.

From Barron's • Mar. 25, 2026

I was aged out of my profession in 2019, not by choice.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 5, 2026

It was all with such reluctance on Xenocrates’ part that Volta knew the man wasn’t here entirely by choice.

From "Scythe" by Neal Shusterman

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