select

American  

[si-lekt] / sɪˈlɛkt /

verb (used with object)

• selects,
  present (3rd person singular)
• selected,
  past participle,  past
• selecting
  present participle

1. to choose in preference to another or others; pick out.

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verb (used without object)

• selects,
  present (3rd person singular)
• selected,
  past participle,  past
• selecting
  present participle

1. to make a choice; pick.

adjective

1. chosen in preference to another or others; selected.

2. of special value or excellence; choice.

3. careful or fastidious in selecting; discriminating.

4. carefully or fastidiously chosen; exclusive.

   a select group of friends.

select British  

/ sɪˈlɛkt /

verb

1. to choose (someone or something) in preference to another or others

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adjective

1. Also: selected.  chosen in preference to another or others

2. of particular quality or excellence

3. limited as to membership or entry

   a select gathering

4. careful in making a choice

Synonym Usage

See choose.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• selectability
  noun
• selectness
  noun
• selector
  noun
• reselect
  verb (used with object)
• nonselected
  adjective
• selectable
  adjective
• unselect
  adjective
• unselected
  adjective
• well-selected
  adjective
• selectly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Participles

• selecting
  present
• selected
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• select
  simple
• selects
  simple
• have selected
  perfect
• has selected
  perfect
• am selecting
  progressive
• are selecting
  progressive
• is selecting
  progressive
• have been selecting
  perfect progressive
• has been selecting
  perfect progressive

Past

• selected
  simple
• had selected
  perfect
• was selecting
  progressive
• were selecting
  progressive
• had been selecting
  perfect progressive

Future

• will select
  simple
• will have selected
  perfect
• will be selecting
  progressive
• will have been selecting
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of select

First recorded in 1555–65; from Latin sēlēctus (past participle of sēligere “to gather apart”), equivalent to sē- “apart” + leg(ere) “to gather, choose” + -tus past participle suffix; cf. lection ( def. ), se-

Explanation

To select something means to choose it from among others. If you select the most expensive phone, it doesn’t necessarily mean you will be happy with what you get. You can use select as an adjective as well as a verb. It means "specially chosen" or "of superior quality." For instance, you might be one of the select few who know how to really appreciate a game of Tetris, or you might want to choose a wine from a select list of Spanish reds. All of this assumes that if you select one thing, you feel that it's better than all the other choices.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

select selects selected selecting

Matthew McConaughey had plenty of reasons to select "The Rivals of Amziah King," a honey-themed thriller set in the American Southwest, for his return to the big screen after more than five years away.

From Barron's ● Aug. 13, 2026

While the fund can be aggressive in making changes when called upon to do so, it’s also disciplined in following its quantitative process to select stocks, buy and sell them, and allocate its portfolio weighting.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 12, 2026

Nvidia also announced Nemo Switchyard, what it calls an “open-source model routing library”—essentially a tool that can automatically select models for supporting different AI agent tasks.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026

By changing how the meta-atoms are arranged, researchers can select which quantum states pass through the material without being altered and which states undergo statistical changes.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 8, 2026

It was a national project to select landing sites for future passenger airports in the Crimea, Caucasus, and Sea of Azov areas.

From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein

Gruel selects seafood, one of what he calls the country’s “bounty items,” and announces that they will make salmon cakes.

From Salon ● Aug. 5, 2026

Should Airbus opt for this type of engine while Boeing selects a more conventional architecture, CFM believes it can cater for both giants of the air.

From Barron's ● Jul. 23, 2026

Facing mounting pressure from his own MPs and cabinet, he will remain in office while the Labour Party selects its next leader.

From BBC ● Jun. 22, 2026

The half-crazed King, magnificently sung by the ever-disruptive Timur, lusts after Salome by speaking and singing at different speeds he selects on a metronome, as he entices her to type for him.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 27, 2026

For the Imuget ceremony, each new warrior selects another warrior who he feels will be a trusted friend forever, one he can confide in during times of hardship and times of happiness.

From "Facing the Lion" by Joseph Lemasolai Lekuton and Herman Viola

He swiftly selected Richard Grenell, a former ambassador to Germany and a staunch ally, as acting director of the center.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026

“The idea of getting paid to reform the system and make it better is a thrill,” Bycel told The Times when he was selected.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026

Investigators are also examining the role of a private company that conducted parts of the exam process after candidates raised questions about how it was selected.

From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026

They selected promising puppies and may sometimes have bred dogs with wild canids to reinforce particular characteristics.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 10, 2026

Ella's hand shot in the air, but Dr. Zolghad selected Farah.

From "The Marvellers" by Dhonielle Clayton

In these fields, selecting the correct enantiomer can be essential because two mirror-image versions of the same molecule may have very different biological or medical effects.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 28, 2026

We could rearrange the portfolios differently to tamp down the risk, selecting companies that are not projected to grow so quickly, but the current market environment justifies the risk — and will reward it.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 13, 2026

When selecting a red to chill, the consensus is to go for something lighter-bodied and fruity that's low in tannins and has a lower alcohol content.

From BBC ● Jul. 12, 2026

Once studios couldn’t count on a second bump of revenue beyond the box office, they began selecting safer films based on pre-existing properties that were guaranteed to get people into movie theaters.

From Salon ● Jul. 12, 2026

I was impressed: Mushie had been able to choose any position he liked in space, all by selecting which branches to use and where to tie them.

From "Endangered" by Eliot Schrefer

Related Words

• choose
• cull
• decide
• elect
• make
• name
• pick
• single out
• take