choose
Americanverb (used with object)
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chooses,
present (3rd person singular)
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chose,
past, past participle (Obsolete)
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chosen,
past participle
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choosing
present participle
-
to select from a number of possibilities; pick by preference.
She chose Sunday for her departure.
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to prefer or decide (to do something).
He chose to run for election.
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to want; desire.
I choose moving to the city.
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(especially in children's games) to contend with (an opponent) to decide, as by odd or even, who will do something.
I'll choose you to see who gets to bat first.
verb (used without object)
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chooses,
present (3rd person singular)
-
chose,
past, past participle (Obsolete)
-
chosen,
past participle
-
choosing
present participle
-
to make a choice, or select from two or more possibilities.
Accepted by several colleges, the boy chose carefully.
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to be inclined.
You may stay here, if you choose.
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(especially in children's games) to decide, as by means of odd or even, who will do something.
Let's choose to see who bats first.
verb phrase
idioms
verb
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to select (a person, thing, course of action, etc) from a number of alternatives
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(tr; takes a clause as object or an infinitive) to consider it desirable or proper
I don't choose to read that book
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(intr) to like; please
you may stand if you choose
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to be obliged to
we cannot choose but vote for him
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(of two people or objects) almost equal
Synonym Usage
Choose, select, pick, elect, prefer indicate a decision that one or more possibilities are to be regarded more highly than others. Choose suggests a decision on one of a number of possibilities because of its apparent superiority: to choose a course of action. Select suggests a choice made for fitness: to select the proper golf club. Pick, an informal word, suggests a selection on personal grounds: to pick a winner. The formal word elect suggests a kind of official action: to elect a representative. Prefer, also formal, emphasizes the desire or liking for one thing more than for another or others: to prefer coffee to tea.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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choosernoun
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rechooseverb
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prechooseverb (used with object)
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choosableadjective
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unchoosableadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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choosesimple
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choosessimple
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have choseperfect
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have chosenperfect
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has choseperfect
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has chosenperfect
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am choosingprogressive
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are choosingprogressive
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is choosingprogressive
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have been choosingperfect progressive
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has been choosingperfect progressive
Past
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chosesimple
-
had choseperfect
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had chosenperfect
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was choosingprogressive
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were choosingprogressive
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had been choosingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of choose
First recorded before 1000; Middle English chosen, chēsen, Old English cēosan; cognate with Gothic kiusan, Old High German kiosan ( German kiesen ); akin to Greek geúesthai “to enjoy,” Latin gustāre “to taste” ( see gusto)
Explanation
The hardest part of adopting a dog from a shelter is when you have to choose which one to bring home with you. When you pick out one pup from the mass of barking canines, that's the dog you choose. Any time you decide on one thing over another — whether it's a seat on a plane, a new pair of shoes, or who you want to marry — you choose it. The Old English word that choose comes from is ceosan, which means something closer to "taste."
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.
See Examples For:
It’s easy to see why Warner Bros. — or any major studio, really — would choose this specific film to scrap.
From Salon ● Aug. 30, 2026
Instead of anger, she’s leaned heavily on her faith to choose forgiveness.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 30, 2026
"To choose between gas, electric, food or a book, you're going to choose a core need - but with the Dolly Parton Imagination Library, you don't have to do that," she said.
From BBC ● Aug. 29, 2026
Maleki said the move would likely also put pressure on the Egyptian parent company, because U.S. banks and other foreign institutions may choose to derisk by steering clear of transactions with it.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026
There is no way to choose your telephone operator.
From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse
Other times the canvas can still be enormous; what’s small is the intimate story Scott chooses to tell within it.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 20, 2026
Where your son chooses to go to college matters.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 20, 2026
"And Graham Norton, if he chooses to continue, has got plenty more in the tank."
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
Whether he chooses to fulfill his destiny alongside his twin remains to be seen.
From Salon ● Jul. 18, 2026
I inspected Ewan, the mysterious being who actually chooses to spend free time with Julia.
From "Black Swan Green" by David Mitchell
“We are honored that she chose Solvang to spend time away from the spotlight. Her extraordinary legacy of music, kindness, and generosity will be felt for generations,” the city said in its statement.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 30, 2026
He flew into the US in May 2019 and "chose to overstay his welcome in violation of our nation's laws", the DHS said.
From BBC ● Aug. 29, 2026
“He chose to overstay his welcome in violation of our nation’s laws,” a department spokesperson said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026
In other words, I specifically rejected Contractor A because of his reputation and chose Contractor B because of his reputation.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 28, 2026
He chose a shady spot under a vast tree with branches overhanging the water, but with the murmur of the river and the clucks, chirps, and chirrups all around, he soon drifted off to sleep.
From "Flying Through Water" by Mamle Wolo
But she’s chosen to forgive Bustillos, Gonzalez said, because she kept thinking of him as “a kid” and could tell that he was devastated by his actions.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 30, 2026
Some of the researchers chosen for the programme, like Guikema, were born and raised in the US.
From BBC ● Aug. 28, 2026
The chosen groups include the country’s two largest telecom companies and the operator of Kakao, South Korea’s so-called “everything app.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026
Nathaniel Zuckschwerdt, Susmita Bose, and Amit Bandyopadhyay in the School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering worked with the team to print GRCop-42 using the configurations chosen by the AI and then evaluate the finished samples.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 27, 2026
As for an object to send across the universe, I had chosen what appeared to be a combat training ball that I found under a glass jar in the humans’ main parlor.
From "Klawde: Evil Alien Warlord Cat" by Johnny Marciano and Emily Chenoweth
As dementia diagnoses rise, patients and caregivers are choosing to continue traveling to enhance their quality of life.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026
The show, which will launch next year, will follow the familiar format of love-seeking contestants choosing between three potential suitors who are hidden behind a wall.
From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026
Even higher-income households, who in previous generations were able to save enough to buy a home, are choosing to rent today.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 26, 2026
Current dietary guidance generally recommends keeping saturated fat below 10% of daily calories and choosing unsaturated fats when possible.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 26, 2026
I didn’t want her to regret choosing me for the assignment out of all the other girls she could just as easily have chosen.
From "Courage to Soar" by Simone Biles
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.
