choice

American  

[chois] / tʃɔɪs /

noun

1. 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.

2. the right, power, or opportunity to choose; option.

   The child had no choice about going to school.

3. the person or thing chosen or eligible to be chosen.

   This book is my choice.

   He is one of many choices for the award.

4. an alternative.

   There is another choice.

5. an abundance or variety from which to choose.

   a wide choice of candidates.

6. something that is preferred or preferable to others; the best part of something.

   Mare's Nest is the choice in the sixth race.

7. a carefully selected supply.

   This restaurant has a fine choice of wines.

8. a choice grade of beef.

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adjective

choicer, choicest

1. worthy of being chosen; excellent; superior.

   Synonyms:

   precious, valuable, uncommon, rare, select

2. carefully selected.

   choice words.

3. (in the grading of beef in the U.S.) rated between prime and good.

idioms

1. of choice, that is generally preferred.

   A detached house is still the home of choice.

choice British  

/ tʃɔɪs /

noun

1. the act or an instance of choosing or selecting

2. the opportunity or power of choosing

3. a person or thing chosen or that may be chosen

   he was a possible choice

4. an alternative action or possibility

   what choice did I have?

5. a supply from which to select

   a poor choice of shoes

6. preferred; favourite

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adjective

1. of superior quality; excellent

   choice wine

2. carefully chosen, appropriate

   a few choice words will do the trick

3. vulgar or rude

   choice language

choice More Idioms  

1. see by choice; Hobson's choice; of choice; pays your money and takes your choice. Also see under choose.

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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. 

Choice also refers to a person or thing that is one of the possibilities a person can choose from.

• Used in a sentence: I’m pretty sure going into the woods at night was the wrong choice. 

Choice also describes something as being carefully chosen.

• Used in a sentence: We narrowed down the menu to a few choice dishes.

Related Words

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

• choiceless adjective
• choicely adverb
• choiceness noun
• prechoice noun

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.

Example Sentences

However, Thomas got a reprieve when hosts Ant and Dec gave the other campmates the choice of whether he should be allowed to remain, and they unanimously agreed he should.

From BBC • Apr. 22, 2026

He was succeeded on the mound by Tanner Scott, whom manager Dave Roberts had said before the game might be the first choice in a save situation.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 22, 2026

Trump announced in January that Warsh, 56, was his choice to succeed Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell.

From Barron's • Apr. 21, 2026

Those files exposed a friendship between the convicted sex offender and Peter Mandelson, a Labour Party grandee and Mr. Starmer’s choice for ambassador to Washington.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 20, 2026

She knew she had made the right choice.

From "The Very, Very Far North" by Dan Bar-el

Related Words

• alternative
• decision
• distinction
• election
• favorite
• finding
• judgment
• opportunity
• option
• pick
• preference
• variety
• vote