by choice

Idioms

Deliberately, as a matter of preference. For example, No one told me to come; I'm here by choice. This expression replaced the earlier with choice, used from about 1500.

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.

Kavanagh, 78, is a New Englander by birth and Californian by choice.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 5, 2026

Some marry by choice to send money back to their families or to plot an eventual escape.

From BBC • Mar. 27, 2026

I was aged out of my profession in 2019, not by choice.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 5, 2026

Let’s also acknowledge that some new entrepreneurs didn’t become founders entirely by choice.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 5, 2026

I thought they were leaving by choice, just going to a safer place to wait out the war.

From "What the Night Sings" by Vesper Stamper

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023