option
Americannoun
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options
plural
-
the power or right of choosing.
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something that may be or is chosen; choice.
-
the act of choosing.
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an item of equipment or a feature that may be chosen as an addition to or replacement for standard equipment and features.
a car with a long list of extra-cost options;
a telephoto lens option for a camera.
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a privilege acquired, as by the payment of a premium or consideration, of demanding, within a specified time, the carrying out of a transaction upon stipulated terms; the right, as granted in a contract or by an initial payment, of acquiring something in the future.
We bought one lot and took a 90-day option on an adjoining one.
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Football. a play in which a back has a choice of either passing or running with the ball.
verb (used with object)
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options,
present (3rd person singular)
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optioned,
past participle, past
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optioning
present participle
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to acquire or grant an option on.
The studio has optioned his latest novel for film adaptation.
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to provide with optional equipment.
The car can be fully optioned at additional cost.
noun
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the act or an instance of choosing or deciding
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the power or liberty to choose
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an exclusive opportunity, usually for a limited period, to buy something at a future date
he has a six-month option on the Canadian rights to this book
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commerce the right to buy ( call option ) or sell ( put option ) a fixed quantity of a commodity, security, foreign exchange, etc, at a fixed price at a specified date in the future See also traded option
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something chosen; choice
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short for local option
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not to commit oneself
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See soft option
verb
Synonym Usage
See choice.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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optionsimple
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optionssimple
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have optionedperfect
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has optionedperfect
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am optioningprogressive
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are optioningprogressive
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is optioningprogressive
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have been optioningperfect progressive
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has been optioningperfect progressive
Past
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optionedsimple
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had optionedperfect
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was optioningprogressive
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were optioningprogressive
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had been optioningperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of option
First recorded in 1595–1605; from Latin optiōn-, stem of optiō “choice,” equivalent to op(tāre) “to select” ( see opt) + -tiō -tion
Explanation
An option is a possibility or choice. In football, a quarterback with three wide receivers has (at least) three throwing options. An option is something that can be chosen — it's a possibility. Even something crazy — like jumping off a cliff — is always an option, just not a good one. There are lots of technical uses of option in business and legal writing. If you have the option on a house, you have the right to buy it. In sports, a free agent has the option of joining another team. No matter what you do, it's nice to have options. When we have no options, we feel trapped.
Vocabulary lists containing option
The Language of Standardized Tests, List 1
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The ACT: The Language of the Test, List 1
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The SAT: Language of the Test, List 5
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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:
Tech that puts a key to sleep while motionless is one option, he says, so thieves cannot hack into it.
From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2026
"We likely will not be touching corals to each other on reefs," said Collins, noting the sheer size of reefs tends to preclude this option.
From Barron's ● Oct. 14, 2026
Instead, she effectively told voters that the past four years of disasters, inefficiencies and ineptitude are still a better option than taking a chance on the City Hall equivalent of the classroom dork.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 14, 2026
Despite the remaining uncertainties, researchers and medical specialists are increasingly exploring GAE as a possible option for patients who have limited alternatives.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 14, 2026
Their only option was to build another canoe, but it would take days.
From "Death on the River of Doubt" by Samantha Seiple
Kousser said Harris’ schedule suggests she wants to keep her options open.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 14, 2026
Trading in single-stock options contracts is near levels reached in 2021, when a new generation of amateur investors shook up Wall Street.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026
But others say it could be one of a numbers of options in the future, as farmers are forced to diversify and adapt to a changing climate.
From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026
Read: Opinion: The options market is reminding investors there’s a cure for rising bond yields — higher yields.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 13, 2026
Internationally, scientists were left with only remote monitoring options.
From "Mountain of Fire" by Rebecca E. F. Barone
In corresponding moves, the Dodgers optioned right-hander Emmet Sheehan and catcher Eliézer Alfonzo to triple-A Oklahoma City.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 23, 2026
Putnam has positioned the book as its lead title of 2026, and Heyday Films, the production company behind the Harry Potter film series, has optioned film adaptation rights in conjunction with Warner Bros.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026
Land has been optioned by the same producer behind Hamnet, and O'Farrell confirms she plans to write the screenplay.
From BBC ● May 22, 2026
Hadlow’s novel was optioned for TV before its release in 2020 and producer Jane Tranter enlisted Sarah Quintrell to adapt the book.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 30, 2026
He optioned those four gaps at a low purchase price that was absurd.
From The Trail of the Lonesome Pine by John Fox
Instead, they are optioning land, which helps them generate higher returns and remove risk from their balance sheet, Bloomberg Intelligence’s Reading said.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 19, 2026
The Dodgers switched their backup catchers Saturday, optioning Chuckie Robinson.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 5, 2026
The Mariners swapped out relievers, recalling right-hander Matt Festa from Tacoma and optioning right-hander Darren McCaughan back to Tacoma after Tuesday’s loss in which he pitched three innings and allowed three runs on five hits.
From Seattle Times ● May 31, 2023
Orioles: Baltimore reinstated Bradish from the injured list after optioning RHP Logan Gillaspie to Triple-A Norfolk.
From Washington Times ● Apr. 19, 2023
This favourite gap he had just finished optioning again, and now again he meant to keep at his old quest.
From The Trail of the Lonesome Pine by John Fox
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.
