selection

American  

[si-lek-shuhn] / sɪˈlɛk ʃən /

noun

• selections
  plural

1. an act or instance of selecting or the state of being selected; choice.

   Antonyms:

   rejection

2. a thing or a number of things selected.

   Synonyms:

   pick, gathering, collection

3. an aggregate of things displayed for choice, purchase, use, etc.; a group from which a choice may be made.

   The store had a wide selection of bracelets.

4. Biology. any natural or artificial process that results in differential reproduction among the members of a population so that the inheritable traits of only certain individuals are passed on, or are passed on in greater proportion, to succeeding generations.

5. Linguistics.

   1. the choice of one form instead of another in a position where either can occur, as of ask instead of tell or with in the phrase ask me.

   2. the choice of one semantic or syntactic class of words in a construction, to the exclusion of others that do not occur there, as the choice of an animate object for the verb surprise.

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selection British  

/ sɪˈlɛkʃən /

noun

1. the act or an instance of selecting or the state of being selected

2. a thing or number of things that have been selected

3. a range from which something may be selected

   this shop has a good selection of clothes

4. biology the natural or artificial process by which certain organisms or characters are reproduced and perpetuated in the species in preference to others See also natural selection

5. a contestant in a race chosen as likely to win or come second or third

6. 1. the act of free-selecting

   2. a tract of land acquired by free-selection

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonselection
  noun
• reselection
  noun
• superselection
  noun
• selectional
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• selections
  plural

Etymology

Origin of selection

First recorded in 1640–50; from Latin sēlēctiōn-, stem of sēlēctiō; equivalent to select + -ion

Explanation

Selection is all about choosing. Think about a salad bar: you can make a selection from among several choices, with croutons always being a popular selection. Inside selection is the word select, "to choose." Selection means the act of choosing, the thing chosen, or the offerings to be chosen from among. Selection can also mean a passage excerpted (or selected) from a longer text. Church services often involve reading a day's selection from the Bible.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

selection selections

The proceedings will open with jury selection, which is expected to take a week.

From Barron's ● Aug. 10, 2026

For a region where conflict, harsh winters and limited infrastructure have long restricted sporting opportunities, Auqib's selection is being seen as a landmark moment.

From BBC ● Aug. 9, 2026

To understand what might have prevented dinosaurs from becoming smaller, the researchers turned to mathematical models designed to predict how natural selection influences body size.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 9, 2026

Min said he ultimately was disappointed at Cal State Long Beach’s selection of food trucks, as a student who prioritizes cutting his cost of living.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 9, 2026

Now I’m sitting at the kitchen table with my sketchbook, a mallard’s feather, and a selection of my graphite pencils, letting what Dr. Crowchild said percolate.

From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam

“It used to be an easy no,” said Doug Frost, the master sommelier who helps United make its selections.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026

It then makes buying selections from that group.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 10, 2026

The exhibition coincides with Oyer’s fifth portrait book release, which features selections from his extensive archive.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026

You might expect all our selections to be victories, but this draw is right up there among England's finest away performances.

From BBC ● Jul. 6, 2026

Sides are, according to Libby, selections given to actors at an audition so they don’t have to read the whole script.

From "Better Nate Than Ever" by Tim Federle

Related Words

• choice
• collection
• draft
• election
• excerpt
• option
• pick