choose

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Also found in: Thesaurus, Idioms.

choose

opt; pick out; select: She will not choose him as a dinner partner again.

Not to be confused with:

chews – grinds and bites with the teeth; masticates: He chews with his mouth open.

choose

(cho͞oz)

v. chose (chōz), cho·sen (chō′zən), choos·ing, choos·es

v.tr.

1. To select from a number of possible alternatives; decide on and pick out: Which book did you choose at the library?

a. To prefer above others: chooses the supermarket over the neighborhood grocery store.

b. To determine or decide: chose to fly rather than drive.

v.intr.

To make a choice; make a selection: was used to doing as she chose.

Phrasal Verb:

choose up

To choose players and form sides or teams for a game, such as baseball or softball.

Idiom:

cannot choose but

Can only do; cannot do otherwise: We cannot choose but to observe the rules.

[Middle English chesen, from Old English cēosan; see geus- in Indo-European roots.]

choos′er n.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

choose

(tʃuːz)

vb, chooses, choosing, chose or chosen

1. to select (a person, thing, course of action, etc) from a number of alternatives

2. (tr; takes a clause as object or an infinitive) to consider it desirable or proper: I don't choose to read that book.

3. (intr) to like; please: you may stand if you choose.

4. cannot choose but to be obliged to: we cannot choose but vote for him.

5. nothing to choose between little to choose between (of two people or objects) almost equal

[Old English ceosan; related to Old Norse kjōsa, Old High German kiosan]

ˈchooser n

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

choose

(tʃuz)

v. chose, cho•sen, choos•ing. v.t.

1. to select from a number of possibilities: She chose July for her wedding.

2. to prefer or decide (to do something): to choose to speak.

3. to want or desire, as one thing over another.

v.i.

4. to make a choice: to choose carefully.

5. to be inclined: Stay or go, as you choose.

6. choose up,

a. to select the team members of.

b. to pick players for opposing teams.

Idioms:

cannot choose but, cannot do otherwise than: We cannot choose but obey.

[before 1000; Middle English chosen,chesen, Old English cēosan, c. Old High German kiosan, Gothic kiusan; akin to Greek geúesthai to enjoy, Latin gustāre to taste]

choos′er, n.

choose

When you choose someone or something from a group of people or things, you decide which one you want.

Why did he choose these particular places?

The past tense of choose is chose, not 'choosed'. The past participle is chosen.

I chose a yellow dress.

Miles Davis was chosen as the principal soloist on both works.

1. 'pick' and 'select'

Pick and select have very similar meanings to choose. Select is more formal than choose or pick, and is not usually used in conversation.

Next time let's pick somebody who can fight.

They select books that seem to them important.

2. 'appoint'

If you appoint someone to a job or official position, you formally choose them for it.

It made sense to appoint a banker to this job.

The Prime Minister has appointed a civilian as defence minister.

3. 'choose to'

If someone chooses to do something, they do it because they want to or because they feel it is right.

Some women choose to manage on their own.

The majority of people do not choose to be a single parent.

The way we choose to bring up children is vitally important.

You do not say that someone 'picks to do' something or 'selects to do' something.

Collins COBUILD English Usage © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 2004, 2011, 2012

choose

Past participle: chosen
Gerund: choosing

Imperative
choose
choose

Present
I choose
you choose
he/she/it chooses
we choose
you choose
they choose

Preterite
I chose
you chose
he/she/it chose
we chose
you chose
they chose

Present Continuous
I am choosing
you are choosing
he/she/it is choosing
we are choosing
you are choosing
they are choosing

Present Perfect
I have chosen
you have chosen
he/she/it has chosen
we have chosen
you have chosen
they have chosen

Past Continuous
I was choosing
you were choosing
he/she/it was choosing
we were choosing
you were choosing
they were choosing

Past Perfect
I had chosen
you had chosen
he/she/it had chosen
we had chosen
you had chosen
they had chosen

Future
I will choose
you will choose
he/she/it will choose
we will choose
you will choose
they will choose

Future Perfect
I will have chosen
you will have chosen
he/she/it will have chosen
we will have chosen
you will have chosen
they will have chosen

Future Continuous
I will be choosing
you will be choosing
he/she/it will be choosing
we will be choosing
you will be choosing
they will be choosing

Present Perfect Continuous
I have been choosing
you have been choosing
he/she/it has been choosing
we have been choosing
you have been choosing
they have been choosing

Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been choosing
you will have been choosing
he/she/it will have been choosing
we will have been choosing
you will have been choosing
they will have been choosing

Past Perfect Continuous
I had been choosing
you had been choosing
he/she/it had been choosing
we had been choosing
you had been choosing
they had been choosing

Conditional
I would choose
you would choose
he/she/it would choose
we would choose
you would choose
they would choose

Past Conditional
I would have chosen
you would have chosen
he/she/it would have chosen
we would have chosen
you would have chosen
they would have chosen

Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Switch to new thesaurus

Verb	1.	choose - pick out, select, or choose from a number of alternatives; "Take any one of these cards"; "Choose a good husband for your daughter"; "She selected a pair of shoes from among the dozen the salesgirl had shown her" pick out, select, take empanel, impanel, panel - select from a list; "empanel prospective jurors" anoint - choose by or as if by divine intervention; "She was anointed the head of the Christian fundamentalist group" field - select (a team or individual player) for a game; "The Buckeyes fielded a young new quarterback for the Rose Bowl" sieve, sift - distinguish and separate out; "sift through the job candidates" draw - select or take in from a given group or region; "The participants in the experiment were drawn from a representative population" dial - choose by means of a dial; "dial a telephone number" plump, go - give support (to) or make a choice (of) one out of a group or number; "I plumped for the losing candidates" pick - select carefully from a group; "She finally picked her successor"; "He picked his way carefully" elect - choose; "I elected to have my funds deposited automatically" excerpt, extract, take out - take out of a literary work in order to cite or copy cull out, winnow - select desirable parts from a group or list; "cull out the interesting letters from the poet's correspondence"; "winnow the finalists from the long list of applicants" cream off, skim off - pick the best pick over, sieve out - separate or remove; "The customer picked over the selection" set apart, assign, specify - select something or someone for a specific purpose; "The teacher assigned him to lead his classmates in the exercise" single out - select from a group; "She was singled out for her outstanding performance" decide, make up one's mind, determine - reach, make, or come to a decision about something; "We finally decided after lengthy deliberations" think of - choose in one's mind; "Think of any integer between 1 and 25" specify, fix, limit, set, determine, define - decide upon or fix definitely; "fix the variables"; "specify the parameters" adopt, espouse, follow - choose and follow; as of theories, ideas, policies, strategies or plans; "She followed the feminist movement"; "The candidate espouses Republican ideals" screen out, sieve, sort, screen - examine in order to test suitability; "screen these samples"; "screen the job applicants" vote in - elect in a voting process; "They voted in Clinton" elect - select by a vote for an office or membership; "We elected him chairman of the board" nominate, propose - put forward; nominate for appointment to an office or for an honor or position; "The President nominated her as head of the Civil Rights Commission" vote - express one's preference for a candidate or for a measure or resolution; cast a vote; "He voted for the motion"; "None of the Democrats voted last night"
	2.	choose - select as an alternative over another; "I always choose the fish over the meat courses in this restaurant"; "She opted for the job on the East coast" opt, prefer cop out, opt out - choose not to do something, as out of fear of failing; "She copped out when she was supposed to get into the hang glider"
	3.	choose - see fit or proper to act in a certain way; decide to act in a certain way; "She chose not to attend classes and now she failed the exam" pass judgment, evaluate, judge - form a critical opinion of; "I cannot judge some works of modern art"; "How do you evaluate this grant proposal?" "We shouldn't pass judgment on other people"

choose

verb

1. pick, take, prefer, select, elect, adopt, opt for, designate, single out, espouse, settle on, fix on, cherry-pick, settle upon, predestine I chose him to accompany me on my trip.
pick leave, refuse, decline, reject, dismiss, exclude, forgo, throw aside

2. wish, want, desire, see fit You can just take out the interest every year, if you choose.

Proverbs
"If you run after two hares you will catch neither"

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

choose

verb

1. To make a choice from a number of alternatives:

cull, elect, opt (for), pick (out), select, single (out).

2. To have the desire or inclination to:

desire, like, please, want, will, wish.

Idioms: have a mind, see fit.

Translations

يَخْتاريَخْتارُيُقَرِّر

vybratzvolitrozhodnout sevolitvybírat si

vælgeudvælge

wählen auswählen erkiesen küren vorziehen

διαλέγω εκλέγω επιλέγω

elekti

elegir escoger optar seleccionar designar

valima

برگزیدن

valita

choisir décider désigner élire opter

לבחור

biratiizabratiodabratiodlučiti

kiválasztmegválaszt

memilihpilih

veljavelja, ákveîa

scegliere scelta selezionare eleggere pignolo

選ぶえらぶ

선택하다

jokio skirtumonuspręstipasirinkti

gribētizmeklētizvēlētiesvēlēties

kiezen uitkiezen verkiezen

finne for godt foretrekke kåre velge velge ut

wybrać wybierać

escolher

alegepreferavrea

выбирать избрать выбрать избирать

izbrati

izabratiodabratiodlučiti

välja

เลือก

seçmek tercih etmek karar vermek

lựa chọn

选择决定选定

choose

[tʃuːz] (chose (pt) (chosen (pp)))

A. VT

1. (gen) → elegir, escoger; (= select) [+ team] → seleccionar; [+ candidate] → elegir
he was chosen (as) leader → fue elegido líder
there is nothing to choose between them → vale tanto el uno como el otro, no veo la diferencia entre ellos

2. (= opt) to choose to do sth → optar por hacer algo
if I don't choose to → si no quiero

B. VI → elegir, escoger
to choose between → elegir entre
there are several to choose from → hay varios entre los que elegir
as/when I choose → como/cuando me parezca, como/cuando me dé la gana (Sp)

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

choose

[ˈtʃuːz] [chose] [ˈtʃəʊz] (pt) [chosen] [ˈtʃəʊz^ən] (pp)

vt [+ thing, person] → choisir
to choose to do sth → décider de faire qch
there's little to choose between them, there's nothing to choose between them (mainly British) → il y a peu de différence entre eux chosen few

vi (= make a choice) → choisir
It's difficult to choose → C'est difficile de choisir.
to choose between → choisir entre
to choose from → choisir parmi

choose

pret <chose>, ptp <chosen>

(= select) → (aus)wählen, sich (dat) → aussuchen; to choose a team → eine Mannschaft auswählen or zusammenstellen; they chose him as their leader or to be their leader → sie wählten ihn zu ihrem Anführer; in a few well-chosen words → in wenigen wohlgesetzten Worten

(= decide, elect) to choose to do something → es vorziehen, etw zu tun; may I come earlier? — if you choose to → darf ich früher kommen? — wenn Sie wollen

to choose (between or among/from) → wählen or eine Wahl treffen (→ zwischen +dat → /aus or unter +dat); there is nothing or little to choose between them → sie sind gleich gut; there aren’t many to choose from → die Auswahl ist nicht sehr groß

(= decide, elect) as/if you choose → wie/wenn Sie wollen

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

choose

[tʃuːz] (chose (vb: pt) (chosen (pp)))

1. vt → scegliere
to choose to do sth → scegliere or decidere di fare qc

2. vi → scegliere
to choose between → scegliere tra
there is nothing to choose between them → uno vale l'altro
to choose from → scegliere da or tra
there were several to choose from → vi era parecchia scelta
as/when I choose → come/quando voglio or decido io

choose

(tʃuːz) – past tense chose (tʃouz) : past participle chosen (ˈtʃouzn) – verb

1. to take (one thing rather than another from a number of things) according to what one wants. Always choose (a book) carefully.

2. to decide (on one course of action rather than another). If he chooses to resign, let him do so.

nothing / not much to choose between

hardly any difference between. There's not much to choose between the two methods.

choose

→ يَخْتارُ vybrat vælge auswählen επιλέγω elegir valita choisir birati scegliere 選ぶ 선택하다 kiezen velge wybrać escolher выбирать välja เลือก seçmek lựa chọn 选择

choose

vt. escoger, elegir.

References in classic literature ?

And of women likewise; there was not, however, any definite character them, because the soul, when choosing a new life, must of necessity become different.

There he saw the soul which had once been Orpheus choosing the life of a swan out of enmity to the race of women, hating to be born of a woman because they had been his murderers; he beheld also the soul of Thamyras choosing the life of a nightingale; birds, on the other hand, like the swan and other musicians, wanting to be men.

View in context

"Could you additionally honor me by choosing somebody else?

She surprised the whole company by choosing Sir Patrick.

View in context

He was directly invited to join their party, but he declined it, observing that he could imagine but two motives for their choosing to walk up and down the room together, with either of which motives his joining them would interfere.

View in context

This cannot be said, without maintaining that five or six thousand citizens are less capable of choosing a fit representative, or more liable to be corrupted by an unfit one, than five or six hundred.

If the same electors at the same time are capable of choosing four or five representatives, they cannot be incapable of choosing one.

I leave every man to decide whether the result of any one of these experiments can be said to countenance a suspicion, that a diffusive mode of choosing representatives of the people tends to elevate traitors and to undermine the public liberty.

View in context

"Who were these men of the Queen's choosing?" was upon every lip.

View in context

I am observing many students that they are choosing the way that is useful for them but they don't have interest in it.

Young generation's choice

Let's say that I changed my mind and, instead, I'm choosing to give you money in the future.

Hyperbolic Discounting, or why most people don't invest

Beginning with choosing a job aboard ship, you can look at the bright and bold illustrations with a child and all manner of discussion will start to happen.