option
Americannoun
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the power or right of choosing.
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something that may be or is chosen; choice.
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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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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:
Netflix launched an ad-supported subscription tier in 2022 but does not offer a free option.
From Barron's ● Jul. 16, 2026
Slipping is an early warning, years before it becomes a problem, while you still have every option to adjust.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 16, 2026
T-Mobile hasn’t launched a new option like AT&T and Verizon’s; a spokeswoman said the carrier’s portfolio already includes competitively priced options for individuals and families.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026
Zegfrovy is under review by the FDA for approval as an initial treatment and would compete directly with Johnson & Johnson’s Rybrevant as an oral, chemotherapy-free treatment option, the analysts add.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026
“Or maybe you could use it to clothe the homeless and give them the option to have something that could withstand different kinds of environments.”
From "Boy 2.0" by Tracey Baptiste
I’ll be watching because I’m paid to; you, enviably, have other options:
From Slate ● Jul. 16, 2026
But in fairness to the state party, which had to create this process on the fly, Platner’s implosion left no good options.
From Slate ● Jul. 16, 2026
New wireless service options may break up multiline plans and land carriers a bevy of long-term customers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 16, 2026
The new single-line options are a shift from carriers’ prior focus on multiline family plans and a bid to win cost-conscious customers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026
I type in “eight-week half-marathon training plan,” and a bunch of options come up.
From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison
Netflix has optioned multiple novels from the bestselling romance writer Emily Henry and announced an adaptation of “Icebreaker,” another college-sports romance.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 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
“The Freshening,” about a government-assisted drug that has everyone seeing their own race and gender, has already been optioned by Ali Wong and Adam McKay, from writer-director Cathy Yan.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 13, 2026
PulteGroup’s “rich” supply of optioned lots “allows for incrementally more efficient capital allocation from the management team and, in our view, likely keeps PHM as a top share repurchaser in our group,” he wrote.
From Barron's ● Mar. 4, 2026
The past four years Alfred had optioned as many different farms, always dissuaded by the wife to give them up.
From Watch Yourself Go By by Warden, Ben W.
The Angels made a flurry of roster moves before Wednesday’s game, designating veteran infielder Tim Anderson and catcher Chuckie Robinson for assignment, while optioning left-hander Jake Eder to triple-A Salt Lake City.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 29, 2025
In other roster news Friday, the Dodgers freshened up their bullpen by calling up Ricky Vanasco and optioning Nick Ramirez.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 17, 2024
Orioles: Baltimore reinstated Bradish from the injured list after optioning RHP Logan Gillaspie to Triple-A Norfolk.
From Washington Times ● Apr. 19, 2023
Notes: The Nationals made three more cuts Tuesday, optioning outfielder Stone Garrett and lefty reliever Jose Ferrer to Rochester and reassigning infielder Leonel Valera to minor league camp.
From Washington Post ● Mar. 21, 2023
He spent two days in interviewing a dozen of them, and found little difficulty optioning their stock at a pleasant figure.
From Scattergood Baines by Kelland, Clarence Budington
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.
