What does "select" mean?

1. (to choose) to choose someone or something from a group, often after careful thought. 2. (computing) to click on something on a computer screen so that you can work with it. 3. (high quality or exclusive) describes a small group of people or things that are the best of their kind. 4. (controller button) a button on a game controller used to choose options or open menus.

How do you use "select"?

Often used in formal contexts where 'choose' might feel too casual. Commonly used with 'deselect' as its direct opposite in software interfaces. Usually placed before the noun it describes.

select

v. · adj. · n.

US //səˈɫɛkt// UK //sɪlˈɛkt// se·lect

1 to choose (v.)
B1 Intermediate General-service

to choose someone or something from a group, often after careful thought.

to choose from a number of options or alternatives, typically based on specific criteria.

Example

You can select the best photos from the trip and print them for the album.

Example

The committee will select the most qualified candidate after reviewing the final round of interviews and portfolio submissions.

Usage

Often used in formal contexts where 'choose' might feel too casual.
- choose
- pick
- opt for
- reject
- discard
2 computing (v.)
B1 Intermediate Technical Computing

to click on something on a computer screen so that you can work with it.

to highlight or mark a specific area of text, an icon, or a data set for a subsequent operation.

Example

Use your mouse to select the text you want to copy.

Example

The user must select the relevant rows in the spreadsheet before applying the formatting macro to the data set.

Usage

Commonly used with 'deselect' as its direct opposite in software interfaces.
- highlight
- mark
- deselect

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3 high quality or exclusive (adj.)
B2 Upper Intermediate Formal

describes a small group of people or things that are the best of their kind.

carefully chosen as being the best or most suitable; often implies exclusivity or high social status.

Example

The club is only open to a select group of members.

Example

The boutique offers a select range of hand-crafted leather goods sourced from small workshops across Tuscany.

Usage

Usually placed before the noun it describes.
- common
- ordinary
4 controller button (n.)
B2 Upper Intermediate Technical Computing

a button on a game controller used to choose options or open menus.

a specific functional button on a digital input device, traditionally used for navigation or secondary menu activation.

Example

Press the select button to change your character's outfit in the game.

Example

The classic controller layout features a select button positioned to the left of the start button for easy thumb access.

Origin

From Latin sēlēctus, perfect passive participle of sēligō (“choose out, select”), from sē- (“without; apart”) + legō (“gather, select”).