select

verb

OPAL W

/sɪˈlekt/

Verb Forms

present simple I / you / we / they select	/sɪˈlekt/ /sɪˈlekt/
he / she / it selects	/sɪˈlekts/ /sɪˈlekts/
past simple selected	/sɪˈlektɪd/ /sɪˈlektɪd/
past participle selected	/sɪˈlektɪd/ /sɪˈlektɪd/
-ing form selecting	/sɪˈlektɪŋ/ /sɪˈlektɪŋ/

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[transitive, intransitive] to choose somebody/something from a group of people or things, usually according to a system
- select somebody/something for something He hasn't been selected for the team.
- All our hotels have been carefully selected for the excellent value they provide.
- select somebody/something as something She was selected as the parliamentary candidate for Bath.
- select somebody/something a randomly selected sample of 23 schools
- selected poems of T.S. Eliot
- This model is available at selected stores only.
- She selected an apple from the fruit bowl.
- It is important to select a software package that suits your requirements.
- select somebody/something to do something Six theatre companies have been selected to take part in this year's festival.
- select what, which, etc. Select what you want from the options available.
- select from something They could select from a range of choices depending on their interests and skills.
Synonyms choose
choose
- select
- pick
- decide
- opt
- go for
These words all mean to decide which thing or person you want out of the ones that are available.
- choose to decide which thing or person you want out of the ones that are available:
  You choose—I can’t decide.
- select [often passive] to choose somebody/something, usually carefully, from a group of people or things:
  He was selected for the team.
  a randomly selected sample of 23 schools
- pick (rather informal) to choose somebody/something from a group of people or things:
  She picked the best cake for herself.
choose, select or pick?Choose is the most general of these words and the only one that can be used without an object. When you select something, you choose it carefully, unless you actually say that it is selected randomly/at random. Pick is a more informal word and often a less careful action, used especially when the choice being made is not very important.
- decide to choose between two or more possibilities:
  We’re still trying to decide on a venue.
- opt to choose to take or not to take a particular course of action:
  After graduating she opted for a career in music.
  After a lot of thought, I opted against buying a motorbike.
- go for something (rather informal) to choose something:
  I think I’ll go for the fruit salad.
Patterns
- to choose/decide between A and/or B
- to choose/select/pick A from B
- to opt/go for somebody/something
- to choose/decide/opt to do something
- to choose/select/pick somebody/something carefully/at random
- randomly chosen/selected/picked
Extra Examples
- You can select goods from our catalogue.
- Students select modules according to their interests.
- The program automatically selects and stores the most frequently used data.
- The winning entry will be selected at random by computer.
- They were selected as finalists for this year's awards.
- They were selected on the basis of size.
- This anthology is well selected and presented.
- Although this was a very highly selected study group, the results were in agreement with our findings.
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
adverb
- carefully
- specially
- specifically
- …
verb + select
- allow somebody to
- enable somebody to
preposition
- according to
- as
- for
- …
phrases
- be selected on the basis of
- well selected
See full entry
select something (computing) to mark something on a computer screen; to choose something, especially from a menu
- Select the text you want to format by holding down the left button on your mouse.
- Select ‘New Mail’ from the ‘Send’ menu.
Wordfinder
- command
- connect
- desktop
- drag
- enter
- insert
- refresh
- scroll
- select
- toggle
Topics Computersb2

Word Originmid 16th cent.: from Latin select- ‘chosen’, from the verb seligere, from se- ‘apart’ + legere ‘choose’.