select
Americanverb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
adjective
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chosen in preference to another or others; selected.
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of special value or excellence; choice.
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careful or fastidious in selecting; discriminating.
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carefully or fastidiously chosen; exclusive.
a select group of friends.
verb
adjective
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Also: selected. chosen in preference to another or others
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of particular quality or excellence
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limited as to membership or entry
a select gathering
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careful in making a choice
Related Words
See choose.
Other Word Forms
- nonselected adjective
- reselect verb (used with object)
- selectability noun
- selectable adjective
- selectly adverb
- selectness noun
- selector noun
- unselect adjective
- unselected adjective
- well-selected adjective
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; lection ( def. ), se-
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.
The rest is in a basket of carefully selected stocks and exchange-traded funds—defense, consumer staples and dividend-focused picks among them.
There were 12 teams selected for the Open Division, using a computer algorithm to rank teams, with three pools of three teams.
From Los Angeles Times
Instead, consumers browse a list of discounted medicines, and select one for purchase.
From Los Angeles Times
But in an announcement, the agency said the study’s purpose is to “gather information about select sites along the Los Angeles coast through research and public input, and then to report these findings to Congress.”
From Los Angeles Times
He raised the roof of the house he inherited; added wings, a porch and a cupola; and selected—along with his wife, Martha—the interior’s paint colors, wallpapers and furniture.
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.
