option

[ op-shuhn ]
See synonyms for: optionoptions on Thesaurus.com

noun
  1. the power or right of choosing.

  2. something that may be or is chosen; choice.

  1. the act of choosing.

  2. 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.

  3. 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.

  4. Football. a play in which a back has a choice of either passing or running with the ball.

verb (used with object)
  1. to acquire or grant an option on: The studio has optioned his latest novel for film adaptation.

  2. to provide with optional equipment: The car can be fully optioned at additional cost.

Origin of option

1
First recorded in 1595–1605; from Latin optiōn-, stem of optiō “choice,” equivalent to op(tāre) “to select” (see opt) + -tiō -tion

synonym study For option

2. See choice.

Other words for option

Other words from option

  • op·tion·a·ble, adjective
  • pre·op·tion, noun

Words Nearby option

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use option in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for option

option

/ (ˈɒpʃən) /


noun
  1. the act or an instance of choosing or deciding

  2. the power or liberty to choose

  1. 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

  2. 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

  3. something chosen; choice

  4. NZ short for local option

  5. keep one's options open or leave one's options open not to commit oneself

verb
  1. (tr) to obtain or grant an option on

Origin of option

1
C17: from Latin optiō free choice, from optāre to choose

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