choice
noun OPAL WOPAL S
/tʃɔɪs/
/tʃɔɪs/
Idioms - We are faced with a difficult choice.
- choice between A and B women forced to make a choice between family and career
- We aim to help students make more informed career choices.
- I am sure you have made the right choice.
- Resources are finite, and choices have to be made between competing priorities and needs.
- There is a wide range of choices open to you.
Synonyms optionoption- choice
- alternative
- possibility
- option something that you can choose to have or do; the freedom to choose what you do:
- As I see it, we have two options…
- Students have the option of studying abroad in their second year.
- choice the freedom to choose what you do; something that you can choose to have or do:
- If I had the choice, I would stop working tomorrow.
- There is a wide range of choices open to you.
- alternative something that you can choose to have or do out of two or more possibilities:
- You can be paid in cash weekly or by cheque monthly: those are the two alternatives.
- possibility one of the different things that you can do in a particular situation:
- We need to explore a wide range of possibilities.
- The possibilities are endless.
- with/without the option/choice/possibility of something
- a(n) good/acceptable/reasonable/possible option/choice/alternative
- the only option/choice/alternative/possibility open to somebody
- to have a/an/the option/choice of doing something
- to have no option/choice/alternative but to do something
- a number/range of options/choices/alternatives/possibilities
Express Yourself Giving reasons, justifying a choiceGiving reasons, justifying a choiceIn various exams, you are asked to make a choice and give reasons for it. In conversation or in a meeting, you need to explain and justify your decisions:- There are two main reasons why I think it’s the best option: first, there's the cost and second, the quality.
- I think/believe it's the right thing to do because it gives everyone a fair chance.
- I would choose the newer one on the grounds that it will last longer.
- Of the three houses, the largest one seems to me to be the best, because they need the room.
- My choice would be number 3, simply because it's the clearest design.
Extra ExamplesTopics Preferences and decisionsa2- Doctors have to make moral choices every day of their lives.
- These are personal choices that people must make for themselves.
- I now had a clear choice: either I accept their terms or I leave.
- In the end, the choice was quite easy.
- She faced the stark choice of backing the new plan or losing her job.
- When did you make a conscious choice to become an artist?
- Your needs should dictate your choice.
- a careful choice of words
- a limited range of choices available to buyers
- a range of available choices
- to make choices about their future
- Leaders must make good decisions and tough choices.
- He wondered whether he had made the right choice.
- Nutrition factors are driving consumer choices.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- careful
- good
- informed
- …
- make
- be faced with
- face
- …
- by choice
- from choice
- out of choice
- …
- If I had the choice, I would stop working tomorrow.
- He had no choice but to leave (= this was the only thing he could do).
- She's going to do it. She doesn't have much choice, really, does she?
- This government is committed to extending parental choice in education.
- After a delicious meal with free wine, the choice is yours: a quiet drink in the bar, the late night disco or a stroll along the beach beneath a starry sky.
- Sandy had to tell his tale in halting Italian. Since Franco spoke no English, he had no choice in the matter.
Extra ExamplesTopics Preferences and decisionsa2- He had no choice about that.
- I had no choice but to cancel my holiday.
- The way he behaved meant that we had no choice in the matter.
- We gave her the choice, and she decided she'd like a bike for her birthday.
- Everyone in a democracy has the right to exercise choice.
- Your decision leaves me with no choice but to resign.
- You can have first choice of all the rooms.
- to extend parental choice as to which schools children should attend
- People still have a choice about where to live.
- I believe in freedom of choice.
- They were left with no choice but to trust her.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- clear
- free
- first
- …
- have
- exercise
- give somebody
- …
- choice about
- choice as to
- choice between
- …
- freedom of choice
- have little choice but to do something
- have no choice but to do something
- …
- This colour wasn't my first choice.
- choice for something She's the obvious choice for the job.
- Hawaii remains a popular choice for winter vacation travel.
- choice as something She wouldn't be my choice as manager.
- choice of something I don’t like his choice of friends (= the people he chooses as his friends).
Synonyms choicechoice- favourite
- preference
- selection
- pick
- choice a person or thing that is chosen:
- She’s the obvious choice for the job.
- favourite/favorite a person or thing that you like more than the others of the same type:
- Which one’s your favourite?
- preference a thing that is liked better or best:
- Tastes and preferences vary from individual to individual.
- selection a number of people or things that have been chosen from a larger group:
- A selection of reader’s comments are published below.
- pick (rather informal) a person or thing that is chosen:
- She was his pick for best actress.
- somebody’s choice/favourite/pick for something
- somebody’s choice/selection/pick as something
- an obvious choice/favourite/selection
- a(n) excellent/good/popular/fine choice/selection
Extra ExamplesTopics Preferences and decisionsa2- I think she's a very good choice for captain.
- It was a happy choice of venue
- Maria defended her choice of name for the child.
- Mary is a popular choice as chair of the committee.
- Much ill health is the result of poor diet and lifestyle choices.
- Our first choice for a holiday is the north of Scotland.
- Our first choice for a site was already taken.
- People were asked about their top choices for meeting locations.
- She questioned the choice of Murphy for this role.
- She was starting to regret her choice.
- The hotel is the preferred choice for business people.
- Bill is the obvious choice for captain of the team.
- I don't think much of her choice of outfit.
- The restaurant is a good choice for a night out.
- He seems an odd choice for this sort of work.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- excellent
- good
- happy
- …
- regret
- defend
- justify
- …
- choice as
- choice for
- choice of
- …
- The menu has a good choice of desserts.
- There wasn't much choice of colour.
- I can't decide. There's too much choice.
Extra ExamplesTopics Preferences and decisionsa2- The shop has a very limited choice of ties.
- Students have a free choice from a range of subjects.
- Smoking may limit your choice of contraception.
- She has a choice between three different universities.
- We offer a choice of ten different destinations.
- The curtains come in a choice of twelve different colours.
- Do supermarkets offer consumers too much choice?
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- good
- wide
- limited
- …
- have
- offer
- limit
- …
- be available (to somebody)
- be open to somebody
- choice of
- be spoilt for choice
Word OriginMiddle English: from Old French chois, from choisir ‘choose’, of Germanic origin and related to choose.
Idioms
be spoilt for choice
- (British English) to have such a lot of things to choose from that it is very difficult to make a decisionTopics Preferences and decisionsc1
by choice
- because you have chosen
- I wouldn't go there by choice.
- I wouldn't have come to this bar by choice!
of choice (for somebody/something)
- (used after a noun) that is chosen by a particular group of people or for a particular purpose
- It's the software of choice for business use.
of your choice
- that you choose yourself
- First prize will be a meal for two at the restaurant of your choice.
you pays your money and you takes your choice
- (informal, especially British English) used for saying that there is very little difference between two or more things that you can choose