1
2
a
: to have a preference for
choose one car over another
b
: decide
chose to go by train
1
: to make a selection
finding it hard to choose
2
: to take an alternative
—used after cannot and usually followed by but
when earth is so kind, men cannot choose but be happy—
J. A. Froude
J. A. FroudeSynonyms
Examples of choose in a Sentence
Each year thousands of college students choose volunteer-service trips over beach bumming during their spring breaks and summer vacations.
—Edward M. Kennedy, Time, 22 Sept. 2008
I had been invited to choose certain things that I might want from the house, but although there were indeed a couple of things that I would have liked, I was withheld from making the trip …
—Alice Adams, "Why I Write,"
in The Story and Its Writer, edited by Ann Charters, 1987
… as an instructor at New York University he chose to live by himself in lodgings that for the time must have been very expensive …
—William Styron, This Quiet Dust and Other Writings, (1953) 1982
Any summary I might try to write for the rest of the novel would be worthless and I don't choose to waste my time at it.
—Flannery O'Connor, The Habit of Being, 1979
The political party chose a leader.
They chose her as the team captain.
We've chosen a different time to go.
He was chosen because he's qualified for the job.
She was chosen from a long list of people.
He chose his words carefully.
Which shirt would you choose?
How do I choose when there's so much available?
Let everyone choose for themselves.
You can choose from among a number of alternatives.
Edward M. Kennedy, Time, 22 Sept. 2008
I had been invited to choose certain things that I might want from the house, but although there were indeed a couple of things that I would have liked, I was withheld from making the trip …
—Alice Adams, "Why I Write,"
in The Story and Its Writer, edited by Ann Charters, 1987
… as an instructor at New York University he chose to live by himself in lodgings that for the time must have been very expensive …
—William Styron, This Quiet Dust and Other Writings, (1953) 1982
Any summary I might try to write for the rest of the novel would be worthless and I don't choose to waste my time at it.
—Flannery O'Connor, The Habit of Being, 1979
The political party chose a leader.
They chose her as the team captain.
We've chosen a different time to go.
He was chosen because he's qualified for the job.
She was chosen from a long list of people.
He chose his words carefully.
Which shirt would you choose?
How do I choose when there's so much available?
Let everyone choose for themselves.
You can choose from among a number of alternatives.
Recent Examples on the Web
This limits the scope of products and brands people with disabilities can choose from, and diminishes their agency over price and quality.
—Dekel Skoop, Forbes, 12 Dec. 2024
War bounty was typically used to fund large-scale projects like this, but the Sultan chose to use treasury funds to finance the building, since the Ottomans had not recently claimed victory in a war.
—Rachel Davies, Architectural Digest, 12 Dec. 2024
And there might be options to choose from—glasses without a display at all but with access to Gemini, glasses with a monocular display on one lens, or glasses with a binocular display that shows up front and center for the best experience, each presumably increasing in price.
—Julian Chokkattu, WIRED, 12 Dec. 2024
More data will certainly be needed to confirm that women who choose active monitoring don’t go on to develop more cancers over time.
—Alice Park, TIME, 12 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for choose 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Dekel Skoop, Forbes, 12 Dec. 2024
War bounty was typically used to fund large-scale projects like this, but the Sultan chose to use treasury funds to finance the building, since the Ottomans had not recently claimed victory in a war.
—Rachel Davies, Architectural Digest, 12 Dec. 2024
And there might be options to choose from—glasses without a display at all but with access to Gemini, glasses with a monocular display on one lens, or glasses with a binocular display that shows up front and center for the best experience, each presumably increasing in price.
—Julian Chokkattu, WIRED, 12 Dec. 2024
More data will certainly be needed to confirm that women who choose active monitoring don’t go on to develop more cancers over time.
—Alice Park, TIME, 12 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for choose
Dictionary Entries Near choose
Cite this Entry
“Choose.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/choose. Accessed 17 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share