choice
[noun]
Synonyms:
- option, alternative, pick, preference, say
- selection, range, variety
[adjective]
Synonyms:
- best, elite, excellent, exclusive, prime, rare, select

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Antonyms: indifferent
Contrasted words: common, ordinary, average, fair, mediocre, medium, middling, run-of-the-mill, second-rate, drab, dull, lackluster, lusterless
Related Words: decision, determination, finding, judgment, verdict, appraisal, evaluation, rating, incomparable, peerless, preeminent, prime, superlative, supreme, surpassing, transcendent, unsurpassed, chosen, culled, picked, selected

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English Thesaurus: choice, first/second/third choice, somebody’s choice of, selection, selection of, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

I. choice¹ S1 W1 /tʃɔɪs/ noun
[Date: 1200-1300; Language: Old French; Origin: chois, from choisir 'to choose']

1. [uncountable and countable] if you have a choice, you can choose between several things ⇒ choose
choice between
Voters have a choice between three main political parties.
choice of
You have a choice of hotel or self-catering accommodation.
He has to make some important choices.
They gave us no choice in the matter.

2. [singular, uncountable] the range of people or things that you can choose from:
It was a small shop and there wasn’t much choice.
choice of
There is a choice of four different colours.
We offer a wide choice of wines and beers.
Consumers these days are spoilt for choice British English (=have a lot of things to choose from).

3. [countable] the person or thing that someone chooses
choice of
I don’t really like her choice of jewellery.
I think London was a good choice as a venue.
sb’s first/second choice
My first choice of college was Stanford.

4. by choice if you do something by choice, you do it because you want to do it and not because you are forced to do it:
She lives alone by choice.

5. the something of your choice the person or thing of your choice is the one that you would most like to choose:
My children cannot go to the school of their choice.

6. the something of choice the thing of choice is the one that people prefer to use:
It is the drug of choice for this type of illness.
⇒ HOBSON’S CHOICE

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

II. choice² adjective

1. [only before noun] formal choice food is of very good quality:
choice steak
We select only the choicest apples for our pies.

2. a few choice words/phrases if you use a few choice words, you say exactly what you mean in an angry way:
He told us what he thought of the idea in a few choice words.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

choice
noun
I. act of choosing
ADJ. careful, good, informed, right, wise a careful choice of words
bad, wrong | difficult, hard, stark She faced the stark choice of backing the new scheme or losing her job.
natural | moral Doctors have to make moral choices every day of their lives.
career
VERB + CHOICE make | be faced with, face
PREP. by/from/out of ~ (= because you have chosen) I wouldn't have come to this bar by choice!
of ~ (= that is/should be chosen by a particular group of people for a particular purpose) It's the software of choice for business use.
of your ~ (= that you choose yourself) First prize will be a meal for two at a restaurant of your choice.
~ about to make choices about their future

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

choice
II. chance/ability to choose
ADJ. clear | free Students have a free choice from a range of subjects.
first You can have first choice of all the rooms.
multiple a test with multiple choice questions
consumer, parental
VERB + CHOICE have I now had a clear choice: either I accept their terms or I leave.
exercise Everyone in a democracy has the right to exercise choice.
give sb, present sb with We gave her the choice, and she decided she'd like a bike for her birthday.
extend
PREP. ~ about He had no choice about that.
~ as to to extend parental choice as to which schools children should attend
~ between She has a choice between three different universities.
~ of a choice of wines
PHRASES freedom of choice, have little/no choice but to do sth I had no choice but to cancel my holiday.
have no choice in the matter The way he behaved meant that we had no choice in the matter.
leave sb with little/no choice Your decision leaves me with no choice but to resign.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

choice
III. things from which you can/must choose
ADJ. good, wide | limited | available a range of available choices
VERB + CHOICE have, offer We offer a choice of ten different holiday destinations.
CHOICE + VERB be available (to sb), be open to sb a range of choices available to buyers
PREP. ~ of The shop has a very limited choice of ties.
PHRASES be spoilt for choice (= to have a large number of things from which to choose)

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

choice
IV. sb/sth that is chosen
ADJ. excellent, good, happy It was a happy choice of venue
obvious Bill is the obvious choice for captain of the team.
popular | first, second Our first choice for a holiday is the north of Scotland.
PREP. ~ as Mary is a popular choice as chair of the committee.
~ for I think she's a very good choice for captain.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

choice

have a choice
Students have a choice between German and Spanish.
make a choice (=choose something)
One of our course advisors can help you to make your choice.
give somebody a choice
Her doctor gave her a choice: take medicine or lose weight.
be faced with a choice
He was faced with a difficult choice.
have no choice (but to do something)
The men had no choice but to obey.
leave somebody with no choice
I was left with no choice but to resign.
exercise your choice formal (=make a choice - used especially when talking about someone using their right to choose)
Everyone should have the right to exercise choice in matters of relationships.
the right/wrong choice
I think you’ve made the right choice.
a difficult choice
It was a very difficult choice for me.
a stark choice (=a choice between two unpleasant things that you must make)
We faced a stark choice: steal or starve.
(a) free choice
Students have an entirely free choice of what to study at university.
an informed choice (=a choice based on knowledge of the facts about something)
The patient should have enough information to make an informed choice.
consumer choice (=the opportunity for people to choose between different products)
I believe in free trade and consumer choice.
parental choice
The aim is to extend parental choice in education.
freedom of choice
Patients should have more freedom of choice.
given the choice (=if you had a choice)
Given the choice, I probably wouldn’t work.
have no choice in the matter
The village people had no choice in the matter.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

choice
noun
BAD: In my new job I have to make a lot of important choices.
GOOD: In my new job I have to make a lot of important decisions.
BAD: Please will you let us know your choice by the end of the month.
GOOD: Please will you let us know your decision by the end of the month.

Usage Note:
When you pick the person/thing that you want (from a range of possibilities), you make a choice : 'Her parents are not happy about her choice of husband.' 'Oxford was my first choice, but I didn't get the grades.'
When you make a judgement about something, especially after thinking carefully about it, you make a decision : 'Although the job offer is attractive, I'd like more time to make a decision.' 'My decision to leave school at 15 was the biggest mistake I ever made.'

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Common Errors ▲

choice something or someone that has been chosen:
Maria was very pleased with her choice.
⇒ first/second/third choice (=the thing you wanted most, the thing you wanted most after that etc):
Greece was our first choice for a vacation, but all the flights were full.
⇒ somebody’s choice of:
I don’t like his choice of friends.
selection a small group of the best things that have been chosen from a larger group: selection of:
She showed me a selection of her drawings.
a selection of songs from ‘West Side Story’

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

choice: choice of:
The school seems OK, but there isn’t a great choice of courses.
⇒ have a choice (=be able to choose from several things):
With her high grades and athletic skill, Celeste had her choice of colleges.
⇒ have no choice but to do something (=to be forced to do something because there is nothing else you can choose):
Spooner says he had no choice but to file for bankruptcy.
⇒ wide choice (=a lot of things to choose from):
There is a wide choice of hotels and hostels in the town.
option one of the things that you can choose to do in a particular situation:
He basically has two options: he can have the surgery, or he can give up playing football.
⇒ keep/leave your options open (=delay choosing so that you continue to have several things to choose from):
I haven’t signed any contracts yet – I want to keep my options open.
alternative one of two or more ways of doing something:
Did you consider other alternatives before you moved in with Lucy?
⇒ alternative to:
There is no practical alternative to our current policy.
⇒ have no alternative (=to not have a choice):
He says he doesn’t want to see a doctor, but I’m afraid he has no alternative.
selection a small group of the best things that have been chosen from a larger group: selection of:
She showed me a selection of her drawings.
a selection of songs from ‘West Side Story’

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

choice
tʃɔɪs
See: by choice , fielder's choice

[TahlilGaran] English Idioms Dictionary ▲