choice
Americannoun
-
choices
plural
-
an act or instance of choosing; selection.
Her choice of a computer was made after months of research. His parents were not happy with his choice of friends.
-
the right, power, or opportunity to choose; option.
The child had no choice about going to school.
-
the person or thing chosen or eligible to be chosen.
This book is my choice.
He is one of many choices for the award.
-
an alternative.
There is another choice.
-
an abundance or variety from which to choose.
a wide choice of candidates.
-
something that is preferred or preferable to others; the best part of something.
Mare's Nest is the choice in the sixth race.
-
a carefully selected supply.
This restaurant has a fine choice of wines.
-
a choice grade of beef.
adjective
idioms
noun
-
the act or an instance of choosing or selecting
-
the opportunity or power of choosing
-
a person or thing chosen or that may be chosen
he was a possible choice
-
an alternative action or possibility
what choice did I have?
-
a supply from which to select
a poor choice of shoes
-
preferred; favourite
adjective
-
of superior quality; excellent
choice wine
-
carefully chosen, appropriate
a few choice words will do the trick
-
vulgar or rude
choice language
Usage
What is a basic definition of choice? A choice is an act of choosing something from multiple options or is one of the options you can choose from. Choice also describes something as being carefully selected. Choice has several other senses as a noun and an adjective. When a person makes a choice, they consider different options and select one of them. For example, you might look at different colors of paint for your bedroom and decide that you want red paint. Your choice of paint was red. When making a choice, the options can be physical things, like food to eat, or nonphysical things, like which direction to drive or what to name a baby. Choice comes from the verb choose, which means to select something from different options.
- Real-life examples: Life is full of choices, ranging from what to eat for breakfast to what kind of job you want to have. Sadly, many people regret the choices they have made in life. We often face really tough choices where we don’t want to pick any of the options available.
- Used in a sentence: She was really happy with her choice of becoming a Hollywood actress.
- Used in a sentence: I’m pretty sure going into the woods at night was the wrong choice.
- Used in a sentence: We narrowed down the menu to a few choice dishes.
Synonym Usage
Choice, alternative, option, preference all suggest the power of choosing between things. Choice implies the opportunity to choose: a choice of evils. Alternative suggests that one has a choice between only two possibilities. It is often used with a negative to mean that there is no second possibility: to have no alternative. Option emphasizes free right or privilege of choosing: to exercise one's option. Preference applies to a choice based on liking or partiality: to state a preference. See fine 1.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of choice
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English chois, from Old French, derived from choisir “to perceive, choose,” from Germanic; see choose
Explanation
When you come to a fork in the road, you have to make a choice. If you can't decide, maybe you should flip a coin. If you have to choose between two schools, the one you end up going to is your choice. If there's only one option, we say we "have no choice," while "the choice is yours" means it's up to you. Choice can also be an adjective for something of high quality, something worth choosing. The choice apples had all been picked by the time you arrived, so you had to settle for the bruised ones.
Vocabulary lists containing choice
TEKS ELAR Academic Vocabulary List (5th-7th grades)
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Thumbs Up: Synonyms for "Good"
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Common Core Grades 9–10, List 5
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
See Examples For:
The search engine was also the top choice across all age groups, the survey found.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 17, 2026
The lower the number, the more choice they have in which plane to fly, the higher their hourly compensation and the less risk of layoffs or furloughs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2026
The money-making move of choice for many of the southern hemisphere's finest.
From BBC ● Sep. 16, 2026
"We have no choice but negotiations, because the alternative is war, which would be very costly for us," Aoun added.
From Barron's ● Sep. 16, 2026
We knew that in spite of daily mounting risks we had no choice but to move forward.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
Humans, by contrast, live with the real-world effects of their choices and must weigh competing values, manage interpersonal relationships and consider ethical obligations when making decisions.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026
I think my job is to get people to understand why they’re making the choices they’re making, even if they don’t agree.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 15, 2026
"In this role I definitely could, even when Martin chooses completely different life choices to ones I would make in his position," he said.
From BBC ● Sep. 14, 2026
"In today's world, we are almost entirely reliant on a small number of powerful companies to make the right choices on Al development for all of humanity," the rights chief wrote.
From Barron's ● Sep. 14, 2026
I knew I had to start making good choices if I wanted to make it to being a grown-up.
From "Root Magic" by Eden Royce
She had even choicer words for her ex-boyfriend Walter Hopps, describing his “Clark Kent glasses that chopped his face into rectangular squares and made him seem as square and cool as celery.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 21, 2021
And so the weak part of the post-spinoff trio will clearly be eBay itself, the lean marketplace rump that will be left once the choicer meat is sliced away.
From Time ● Feb. 4, 2015
It's amazing that such fragile items survive - amazing the prices the choicer items can now attract.
From BBC ● Mar. 30, 2014
It’s easy to imagine, say, George Sanders or Rex Harrison uttering some of Pozdynyshev’s choicer assessments: “The man was an embarrassment of effort.”
From New York Times ● Mar. 12, 2012
But for the most part the history of poetry during this time in France is the history of verse almost uninspired by the poetic spirit, and destitute even of the choicer graces of poetic form.
From A Short History of French Literature by George Saintsbury
Ms. Chimo is a delight in the choicest supporting role as the peculiarly overeducated Saunders, whose unsolicited advice and unwanted commentary rattle Julia’s already fragile nerves.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 20, 2026
Hard as it is to conceive of now, one family, the Rindges, once owned about 25 miles of the choicest coastal property in Southern California: Malibu.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 25, 2025
“Her Story,” a reflection on women’s rights, quotes some of the choicest insults that were spat at suffragists a century ago, as if to ask whether they sound familiar today.
From New York Times ● May 31, 2023
They’re known around the world for going after the choicest cuts from their prey.
From Scientific American ● Apr. 11, 2023
We are brothers and press on one another the choicest pieces.
From "All Quiet on the Western Front: A Novel" by Erich Maria Remarque
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
