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 exception, and it is a large one, is manager selection.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 15, 2026

Even when intergalactic forces take pains to make the Lantern Corps’ selection process fair, Earth’s unspoken dictates about worthiness make that impossible.

From Salon ● Aug. 14, 2026

Burrows is a three-time Pro Bowl selection in six seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026

Jury selection in the case began on Monday, with opening arguments slated to start on 17 August.

From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026

“I’m sorry, that meal selection would require approval from your mother.”

From "The Manifestor Prophecy" by Angie Thomas

Their five All-Star selections ties the Atlanta Braves and Philadelphia Phillies for the most in the majors.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 5, 2026

It’s already reflected in stock prices, and investors gain no advantage when basing their stock selections on it.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 4, 2026

The former defender described the lack of a top-class striker as "a major issue" and said he was "uncertain about the logic of a few selections".

From BBC ● Jun. 27, 2026

For questions where respondents could make multiple selections, “no” answers are the share that didn’t select that option excluding those that didn’t answer the question at all or responded that they “did not know.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026

I couldn’t wait to make my selections from the vending machine.

From "Louisiana's Way Home" by Kate DiCamillo

Related Words

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