noun
Meaning 1
One of a set of choices that can be made.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Standard Lemma guide
option
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
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Received-Pronunciation: /ˈɒpʃən/
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General-American: /ˈɑpʃən/
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US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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CMU ARPABET: AA1 P SH AH0 N Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
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CMU ARPABET 2: AO1 P SH AH0 N Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
noun
Meaning 2
The freedom or right to choose.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 3
A contract giving the holder the right to buy or sell an asset at a set strike price; can apply to financial market transactions, or to ordinary transactions for tangible assets such as a residence or automobile.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Topics: business, finance, law
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 4
The acquiring or retention of a nationality through personal choice as a right, bypassing selective legal mechanisms for naturalization, especially in cases where a territory is transferred or passed on from one state to another.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: uncountable
Topics: law
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 5
To purchase an option on something.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
- The new novel was optioned by the film studio, but they'll probably never decide to make a movie from it.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 6
To configure, by setting an option.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: dated
Topics: computing, engineering, mathematics, natural-sciences, physical-sciences, sciences
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 7
the act of choosing or selecting
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- your choice of colors was unfortunate
- you can take your pick
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: choice, selection, pick
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: action
Narrower terms: casting, coloration, colouration, sampling, decision, determination, conclusion, volition, willing, election, vote, ballot, voting, balloting
noun
Meaning 8
one of a number of things from which only one can be chosen
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- what option did I have?
- there no other alternative
- my only choice is to refuse
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: alternative, choice
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: decision making, deciding
Narrower terms: obverse, preference, druthers, default option, default, possibility, possible action, opening, impossibility, impossible action, Hobson's choice, soft option
noun
Meaning 9
the right to buy or sell property at an agreed price; the right is purchased and if it is not exercised by a stated date the money is forfeited
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: derivative instrument, derivative
Narrower terms: naked option, covered option, call option, call, put option, put, straddle, incentive option, incentive stock option, stock option, lock-up option
History
Etymology
From French option, from Latin optiō (“choice; option; act of choosing”), from optō (“to choose, select”). Equivalent to opt + -ion.
Across languages
Translations
160 source translations are retained for this English entry.
- Arabic: خِيَار m اِخْتِيَار (ḵiyār) — one of the choices that can be made
- Armenian: ընտրանք (əntrankʻ) — one of the choices that can be made
- Armenian: ընտրություն (əntrutʻyun) — one of the choices that can be made
- Basque: aukera — one of the choices that can be made
- Belarusian: вы́бар (výbar) — one of the choices that can be made
- Belarusian: о́пцыя (ópcyja) — one of the choices that can be made
- Belarusian: варыя́нт (varyjánt) — one of the choices that can be made
- Belarusian: альтэрнаты́ва (alʹternatýva) — one of the choices that can be made
- Bulgarian: о́пция (ópcija) — one of the choices that can be made
- Bulgarian: алтернати́ва (alternatíva) — one of the choices that can be made
- Bulgarian: и́збор (ízbor) — one of the choices that can be made
- Bulgarian: вариа́нт (variánt) — one of the choices that can be made
- Catalan: opció — one of the choices that can be made
- Chinese Cantonese: 選擇 /选择 (syun2 zaak6) — one of the choices that can be made
- Chinese: 選擇 /选择 (zh-min-nan) — one of the choices that can be made
- Chinese Mandarin: 選擇 /选择 (xuǎnzé) — one of the choices that can be made
- Czech: možnost — one of the choices that can be made
- Czech: volba — one of the choices that can be made
- Czech: výběr — one of the choices that can be made
- Danish: valgmulighed — one of the choices that can be made
- Danish: mulighed — one of the choices that can be made
- Dutch: optie — one of the choices that can be made
- Dutch: keuze — one of the choices that can be made
- Esperanto: alternativo — one of the choices that can be made
- Esperanto: elekto — one of the choices that can be made
- Esperanto: opcio — one of the choices that can be made
- Estonian: valikuvõimalus — one of the choices that can be made
- Estonian: valik — one of the choices that can be made
- Finnish: vaihtoehto — one of the choices that can be made
- French: choix — one of the choices that can be made
- French: possibilité — one of the choices that can be made
- French: option — one of the choices that can be made
- Galician: opción — one of the choices that can be made
- Georgian: ვარიანტი (varianṭi) — one of the choices that can be made
- German: Alternative — one of the choices that can be made
- German: Option — one of the choices that can be made
- German: Möglichkeit — one of the choices that can be made
- German: Wahl — one of the choices that can be made
- Greek: επιλογή (epilogí) — one of the choices that can be made
- Greek: προαίρεση (proaíresi) — one of the choices that can be made
- Greek: εκλογή (eklogí) — one of the choices that can be made
- Hebrew: אפשרות (efsharút) — one of the choices that can be made
- Hebrew: ברירה (brerá) — one of the choices that can be made
- Hebrew: אופציה (óptsiya) — one of the choices that can be made
- Hindi: विकल्प (vikalp) — one of the choices that can be made
- Hungarian: lehetőség — one of the choices that can be made
- Hungarian: opció — one of the choices that can be made
- Icelandic: valmöguleiki — one of the choices that can be made
- Indonesian: pilihan — one of the choices that can be made
- Indonesian: opsi — one of the choices that can be made
- Italian: opzione — one of the choices that can be made
- Japanese: 選択 (sentaku) — one of the choices that can be made
- Japanese: オプション (opushon) — one of the choices that can be made
- Japanese: 選択肢 (sentakushi) — one of the choices that can be made
- Khmer: ជំរើស (cumrəəh) — one of the choices that can be made
- Khmer: ជម្រើស (cɔɔcumrəəh) — one of the choices that can be made
- Korean: 선택 (seontaek) — one of the choices that can be made
- Korean: 옵션 (opsyeon) — one of the choices that can be made
- Korean: 선택지 (seontaekji) — one of the choices that can be made
- Lao: ທາງເລືອກ (thāng lư̄ak) — one of the choices that can be made
- Latin: optiō — one of the choices that can be made
- Latvian: izvēle — one of the choices that can be made
- Latvian: opcija — one of the choices that can be made
- Lithuanian: pasirinkimas — one of the choices that can be made
- Lithuanian: optacija — one of the choices that can be made
- Macedonian: о́пција (ópcija) — one of the choices that can be made
- Macedonian: и́збор (ízbor) — one of the choices that can be made
- Malay: pilihan — one of the choices that can be made
- Māori: kōwhiringa — one of the choices that can be made
- Marathi: विकल्प (vikalpa) — one of the choices that can be made
- Marathi: पर्याय (paryāy) — one of the choices that can be made
- Mongolian: сонголт (songolt) — one of the choices that can be made
- Norwegian Bokmål: valgmulighet — one of the choices that can be made
- Persian: گُزینِه (gozine) — one of the choices that can be made
- Persian: اِنتِخاب (entexâb) — one of the choices that can be made
- Persian: اِختِیار (extiyâr) — one of the choices that can be made
- Polish: opcja — one of the choices that can be made
- Polish: alternatywa — one of the choices that can be made
- Polish: wybór — one of the choices that can be made
- Portuguese: opção — one of the choices that can be made
- Romanian: alegere — one of the choices that can be made
- Romanian: opțiune — one of the choices that can be made
- Russian: о́пция (ópcija) — one of the choices that can be made
- Russian: вы́бор (výbor) — one of the choices that can be made
- Russian: вариа́нт (variánt) — one of the choices that can be made
- Russian: альтернати́ва (alʹtɛrnatíva) — one of the choices that can be made
- Serbo-Croatian: ѝзбор — one of the choices that can be made
- Serbo-Croatian: о̀пција — one of the choices that can be made
- Serbo-Croatian: ìzbor — one of the choices that can be made
- Serbo-Croatian: òpcija — one of the choices that can be made
- Slovak: možnosť — one of the choices that can be made
- Slovak: voľba — one of the choices that can be made
- Slovak: výber — one of the choices that can be made
- Slovene: možnost — one of the choices that can be made
- Slovene: izbira — one of the choices that can be made
- Spanish: opción — one of the choices that can be made
- Swedish: alternativ n val — one of the choices that can be made
- Swedish: valmöjlighet — one of the choices that can be made
- Tajik: интихоб (intixob) — one of the choices that can be made
- Tajik: ихтиёр (ixtiyor) — one of the choices that can be made
- Tatar: сайлау (saylaw) — one of the choices that can be made
- Tatar: опция (optsiyä) — one of the choices that can be made
- Tatar: альтернатив (alʹternativ) — one of the choices that can be made
- Tatar: ихтияр (ixtiyär) — one of the choices that can be made
- Thai: ตัวเลือก (dtuua-lʉ̂ʉak) — one of the choices that can be made
- Thai: ทางเลือก (taang-lʉ̂ʉak) — one of the choices that can be made
- Turkish: seçenek — one of the choices that can be made
- Ottoman Turkish: اختیار (ihtiyâr) — one of the choices that can be made
- Ukrainian: ви́бір (výbir) — one of the choices that can be made
- Ukrainian: о́пція (ópcija) — one of the choices that can be made
- Ukrainian: варіа́нт (variánt) — one of the choices that can be made
- Ukrainian: альтернати́ва (alʹternatýva) — one of the choices that can be made
- Urdu: اِخْتِیار (ixtiyār) — one of the choices that can be made
- Uzbek: tahlash — one of the choices that can be made
- Vietnamese: lựa chọn — one of the choices that can be made
- Walloon: relijha — one of the choices that can be made
- Walloon: opcion — one of the choices that can be made
- Yiddish: ברירה (breyre) — one of the choices that can be made
- Yiddish: אָפּציע (optsye) — one of the choices that can be made
- Belarusian: вы́бар (výbar) — freedom or right to choose
- Bulgarian: и́збор (ízbor) — freedom or right to choose
- Chinese Cantonese: 選擇 /选择 (syun2 zaak6) — freedom or right to choose
- Chinese: 選擇 /选择 (soán-te̍k) — freedom or right to choose
- Chinese: 選擇權 /选择权 (xuǎnzéquán) — freedom or right to choose
- Chinese Mandarin: 選擇 /选择 (xuǎnzé) — freedom or right to choose
- Finnish: valinnanvapaus — freedom or right to choose
- Hebrew: אפשרות (efsharút) — freedom or right to choose
- Hungarian: választási lehetőség — freedom or right to choose
- Hungarian: döntési szabadság — freedom or right to choose
- Japanese: 選択 (sentaku) — freedom or right to choose
- Japanese: 選択権 (sentakuken) — freedom or right to choose
- Korean: 선택 (seontaek) — freedom or right to choose
- Korean: 선택권 (seontaekgwon) — freedom or right to choose
- Russian: вы́бор (výbor) — freedom or right to choose
- Tatar: сайлау (saylaw) — freedom or right to choose
- Ottoman Turkish: اختیار (ihtiyâr) — freedom or right to choose
- Ukrainian: ви́бір (výbir) — freedom or right to choose
- Walloon: tchuze — freedom or right to choose
- Belarusian: апцыён (apcyjón) — financial product
- Bulgarian: опцио́н (opción) — financial product
- Chinese Mandarin: 期權 /期权 (qīquán) — financial product
- Czech: opce — financial product
- Danish: option — financial product
- Danish: aktieoption — financial product
- Esperanto: opcio — financial product
- Finnish: optio — financial product
- German: Option — financial product
- Hebrew: אופציה (óptsiya) — financial product
- Hungarian: opció — financial product
- Hungarian: elővételi jog — financial product
- Indonesian: opsi — financial product
- Kazakh: опцион (opsion) — financial product
- Norwegian Bokmål: opsjon — financial product
- Polish: opcja — financial product
- Russian: опцио́н (opción) — financial product
- Serbo-Croatian: о̀пција — financial product
- Serbo-Croatian: òpcija — financial product
- Spanish: opción financiera — financial product
- Swedish: option (handel) — financial product
- Ukrainian: опціо́н (opción) — financial product
Real reading context