Meaning & use

select

verb·Everyday

To carefully choose one thing or person from a group of possible options.

See it in a sentence

Please select the option that best describes your current employment status.

The committee will select three finalists to interview next week.

A note on using this word

Select often implies a more careful or deliberate choice than pick, and it sounds slightly more formal in everyday speech.

Words with a similar meaning

choosepickopt for

Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

Words with an opposite meaning

Another way to use it

2. adjective

Carefully chosen as being among the best or most suitable of a group.

Only a select group of employees were invited to the planning meeting.

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