option
Americannoun
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the power or right of choosing.
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something that may be or is chosen; choice.
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the act of choosing.
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an item of equipment or a feature that may be chosen as an addition to or replacement for standard equipment and features.
a car with a long list of extra-cost options;
a telephoto lens option for a camera.
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a privilege acquired, as by the payment of a premium or consideration, of demanding, within a specified time, the carrying out of a transaction upon stipulated terms; the right, as granted in a contract or by an initial payment, of acquiring something in the future.
We bought one lot and took a 90-day option on an adjoining one.
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Football. a play in which a back has a choice of either passing or running with the ball.
verb (used with object)
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to acquire or grant an option on.
The studio has optioned his latest novel for film adaptation.
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to provide with optional equipment.
The car can be fully optioned at additional cost.
noun
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the act or an instance of choosing or deciding
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the power or liberty to choose
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an exclusive opportunity, usually for a limited period, to buy something at a future date
he has a six-month option on the Canadian rights to this book
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commerce the right to buy ( call option ) or sell ( put option ) a fixed quantity of a commodity, security, foreign exchange, etc, at a fixed price at a specified date in the future See also traded option
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something chosen; choice
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short for local option
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not to commit oneself
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See soft option
verb
Related Words
See choice.
Other Word Forms
- optionable adjective
- preoption noun
Etymology
Origin of option
First recorded in 1595–1605; from Latin optiōn-, stem of optiō “choice,” equivalent to op(tāre) “to select” ( opt ) + -tiō -tion
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.
The most recent option is London City Lionesses left-back Poppy Pattinson, who has been called up for the World Cup qualifiers against Ukraine and Iceland in March.
From BBC
Coach Andre Chevalier pushes the buttons and has so much depth that it gives him the kind of options any coach would welcome.
From Los Angeles Times
“When you intentionally or unintentionally step away from household finances, you don’t realize right away that you’re losing agency and options, but over time you start to feel it,” Heather says.
And while Abel said share repurchases were an “important capital-allocation option,” the company didn’t buy back any stock during the fourth quarter, extending that trend to six quarters.
From MarketWatch
There is one other option, and Mertz referred to it as dental tourism, saying that Mexico and Costa Rica are popular destinations for U.S. residents.
From Los Angeles Times
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.
