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local option

American

noun

a right of choice exercised by a minor political division, as a county, especially as to allowing the sale of liquor.

local option British

noun

(esp in Scotland, New Zealand, and the US) the privilege of a municipality, county, etc, to determine by referendum whether a particular activity, esp the sale of liquor, shall be permitted there

"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

Etymology

Origin of local option

First recorded in 1875–80

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.

The voter-approved local option levy pays for 800 teaching positions, an advantage few other districts enjoy.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 3, 2023

Fife Council said it was working to explore other options to keep the family together until a more local option becomes available.

From BBC • Apr. 12, 2023

It took courageous and farsighted judges to stand up and say that civil rights are not dispensed in our country by local option.

From Slate • Mar. 29, 2021

Details are still vague on how the local option program would work.

From Salon • Oct. 24, 2019

Not infrequently it has succeeded in electing some of its candidates to the legislature, and it has been instrumental in securing the enactment of local option laws and even state-wide prohibition laws in several states.

From Government in the United States National, State and Local by Garner, James Wilford

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