opt
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
to choose one thing instead of another.
to make a choice or selection from among several available alternatives.
Simple“After looking at several different cars, they decided to opt for the smaller, electric model.”
In context“Faced with a stagnant domestic market, the board of directors decided to opt for a more aggressive international expansion strategy.”
UsageUsually followed by the preposition 'for' when choosing a noun, or 'to' when choosing an action.
Teacher's tipLearners often confuse this with 'choose'; explain that 'opt' often implies a more formal or deliberate decision between specific alternatives.
Usage opting for an escalation
“Former British sprinter Adam Gemili tells Newsbeat that "feeling good" about yourself can give you that necessary extra lift when competing, and says men often opt for a "good trim".”
“Users can opt out of that, Twitch said on Wednesday , external , but the announcement sparked a backlash with some users questioning why it was allowed in the first place.”
First attested in 1853; borrowed from French opter, from Latin optō (“to choose; to select”). Doublet of optate.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.