choose
Americanverb (used with object)
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to select from a number of possibilities; pick by preference.
She chose Sunday for her departure.
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to prefer or decide (to do something).
He chose to run for election.
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to want; desire.
I choose moving to the city.
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(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)
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to make a choice, or select from two or more possibilities.
Accepted by several colleges, the boy chose carefully.
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to be inclined.
You may stay here, if you choose.
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(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
idioms
verb
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to select (a person, thing, course of action, etc) from a number of alternatives
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(tr; takes a clause as object or an infinitive) to consider it desirable or proper
I don't choose to read that book
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(intr) to like; please
you may stand if you choose
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to be obliged to
we cannot choose but vote for him
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(of two people or objects) almost equal
Synonym Usage
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
Derived Forms
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choosernoun
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rechooseverb
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prechooseverb (used with object)
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choosableadjective
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unchoosableadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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choosesimple
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choosessimple
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have choseperfect
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have chosenperfect
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has choseperfect
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has chosenperfect
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am choosingprogressive
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are choosingprogressive
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is choosingprogressive
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have been choosingperfect progressive
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has been choosingperfect progressive
Past
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chosesimple
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had choseperfect
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had chosenperfect
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was choosingprogressive
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were choosingprogressive
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had been choosingperfect progressive
Future
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” ( see gusto)
Explanation
The hardest part of adopting a dog from a shelter is when you have to choose which one to bring home with you. When you pick out one pup from the mass of barking canines, that's the dog you choose. Any time you decide on one thing over another — whether it's a seat on a plane, a new pair of shoes, or who you want to marry — you choose it. The Old English word that choose comes from is ceosan, which means something closer to "taste."
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:
"It's better to choose someone...who knows what they're signing," Lima recalled telling the couple.
From Barron's ● Jul. 12, 2026
“Money will make a big difference in what you choose to do,” said Joy Loverde, author of “The Complete Eldercare Planner.”
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 12, 2026
For something colder, Clementine’s ice cream is the most scoopable straight-from-the-freezer pint I’ve ever tried, with traditional, vegan and alcohol-infused “naughty” flavors to choose from.
From Salon ● Jul. 12, 2026
“I did not choose these songs because they are beautiful,” she said in a Nonesuch press release, “but because they are crucial to me.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 11, 2026
“I choose you instead of the contest,” I press on.
From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison
What does it mean for Europe if the country that set the modern standard for combating antisemitism across the continent chooses to move on at a time of rising Jew-hatred?
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026
"I feel like I grew in my music taste with her," said Carbaug, adding: "The right man for her is whoever she chooses."
From BBC ● Jul. 3, 2026
Constitutional privacy is not lost because the government chooses to invade it one fragment at a time.
From Slate ● Jun. 29, 2026
“While a modest approach would have been appropriate, the Court chooses to go big,” she wrote.
From Barron's ● Jun. 29, 2026
I choose the blue golf ball, and Ronan chooses the green.
From "Shouting at the Rain" by Lynda Mullaly Hunt
Under Minasian, the Angels chose to spend less on the first-round pick and spread the savings among players drafted in lower rounds.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 12, 2026
So it is no real surprise Ubisoft chose this as the first game in the series to remake.
From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026
Though she also worked as a clinical physician, Gillison chose to focus most of her career on research.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026
The housing bill's quiet enactment would mark an unusual conclusion to months of cross-party negotiations, as a significant congressional accomplishment that the president declined to celebrate, but chose not to stop.
From Barron's ● Jul. 10, 2026
Jack’s stomach chose that moment to rumble loudly.
From "Half Upon a Time" by James Riley
All of these titles were chosen based on parental and guardians’ reports of the subjects’ favorite programs.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 13, 2026
There is a monthly meeting to discuss whichever book the group has chosen and another "scrap and yap" session, which focuses on book journalling and craft.
From BBC ● Jul. 12, 2026
Ransom, who was 66 at the time of the deal, said he had already accepted that his three sons had chosen different career paths and had no interest in his business.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 10, 2026
We gather in sixes and eights for dinner at places chosen more for their decibels than their desserts.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026
He had chosen Moose at the animal shelter, more than six years ago.
From "Earthquake Terror" by Peg Kehret
People who can afford to send their grade-school kids anywhere are choosing new alternative education.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026
“We always recommend choosing the lowest price with the benefit coverage you’re looking for.”
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 9, 2026
He suggests that avoiding a bad trip starts with choosing companies noted for strong customer service.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026
It’s also easy to imagine video game companies writ large choosing to slash budgets by removing their own disc drives as hardware becomes far more expensive to produce, thanks to the A.I.-induced memory-processor shortage.
From Slate ● Jul. 7, 2026
Choosing between them seemed like choosing between the head and the heart of the American Revolution.
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
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.
