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:
The contract is for an initial term of five years and contains two additional option years, the company said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026
Applicants have the option to use the new or existing process.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
Another option, something Briffault admits is petty but has been done before, is to slash the salaries of people at the agency responsible for the unlawful behavior, or even folks who worked on it.
From Slate ● Oct. 1, 2026
Smalling has signed a contract until the end of the season with Porto, with the option for a further year.
From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2026
Of course, a positive outcome can never be guaranteed, but what’s the other option?
From "The Bletchley Riddle" by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin
In truth, he probably will due to the lack of better options.
From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026
But some sites will be less controversial than others, and the industry needs options that create less friction.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026
“Can students enter LACCD, understand their options, find the support they need, complete their goal, and leave with more opportunity than when they arrived?”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
She said she’s homeschooling her three daughters because the local public school options just “weren’t up to par.”
From Salon ● Oct. 1, 2026
It set the precedents, established in palpable fact what the Constitution had only outlined in purposely ambiguous theory, thereby opening up and closing off options for all the history that followed.
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
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
Before she even finished the novel, it was optioned for a film starring Anne Hathaway.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 8, 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
For this reason, I earnestly request that you accept our offer of another planet than the one you have optioned, closer to the Dovenilid system.
From Citadel by H. R. van Dongen
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
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
The Mariners made one roster move before Friday’s game, reinstating right-handed reliever Penn Murfee from the 15-day injured list and optioning right-handed reliever Matt Testa to Tacoma.
From Seattle Times ● Jun. 9, 2023
Orioles: Baltimore reinstated Bradish from the injured list after optioning RHP Logan Gillaspie to Triple-A Norfolk.
From Washington Times ● Apr. 19, 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 Clarence Budington Kelland
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.
